All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.SVU.S21E06.WEBRip.x264-ION10

.

- 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.

- So are you ready to teach me
some of those dance moves?

- Yeah.

Can we get ice cream?
We're right by the cart.

- Before dinner?
- I won't have dessert after.

- Olivia!

- Simon.

- Hello, I'm Simon.

- Hi, I'm Noah.

- Yeah, go ahead.
Go pick a flavor, run along.

- Who's Noah?

- Uh, Noah is my son.

- I have a nephew
and you didn't tell me?

Well, that's on me.

I haven't exactly
been in touch.

- Simon,
what are you doing here?

- I moved back
to Jersey a few years ago,

working at the Carpet King.

- How is your family,
your--your children?

- I don't know.

Tracy took the kids,
so I haven't seen her or them

since I last saw you.

- I'm sorry.

- I thought about asking you
to help me track them down...

but I always end up
making more trouble for you.

Look, Olivia, I just...

I just want
to make it up to you.

Maybe I can--I can take
you and Noah out to lunch?

- Simon, I don't think
that's such a good...

- Just don't--don't say no.

All right, look,
I've been clean five years.

Look at this.

All right?
You're my only family.

I wanna get to know my nephew.

Come on.
Wednesday, lunch.

It's my day off.
You pick the place, the time.

I can be anywhere.

[somber music]

♪

- Eight Bronx Science grads
have won Nobel Prizes.

I'm gonna be the ninth.

- Good for you, Lupe.

[upbeat pop music]

- ♪ Me and my girls

♪ We in charge,
call the shots ♪

♪

♪ Me and my girls

- That's a lucky ice cream.

- Dream on.

- She's a herb,
but smart's hot, too.

- ♪ Me and my girls

♪ Live it up like we should

♪ Me and my girls

♪

♪ Me and my girls

♪

[metal clanking]

♪

♪ Me and my girls

♪

[door closes]

[ominous music]

- [gasps]

[muffled]
No!

[whimpering]

♪

[dramatic music]

♪

[siren wailing]

[indistinct chatter]

- Well, the word is
definitely on the street.

- Hey, move aside,
folks, please.

Thank you.

- Five-oh,
always five-oh minutes late.

- No city cameras
to protect our girls,

but plenty for mug shots
of our boys.

- We're SVU, ma'am,
not the Warrant Squad.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Lupe Perez, 14,
assaulted in the stairwell.

She's still in shock,
but she didn't want to leave

her little sister upstairs
alone, so I put a uni with her.

- You got here fast.
- Two train.

Faster than lights
and sirens every time.

CSU is on the way.

- And the girl's parents?

- Her mom works the night shift

at the Double Dutch
Donuts on 125th.

- Cameras?

- Busted, like the elevator.
Like always.

- Wait a minute,
you're a former projects kid?

- Gowanus.

And no such thing
as a former projects kid.

- Okay.

Is the girl
comfortable with you?

Why don't you ride
with her to CAC?

- The doctor was nice,
but the exam hurt.

- Lo siento.

- Teenage girl
assaulted in the projects?

Any witnesses?

- Fin's still canvassing,
but there's nothing

on the rape kit,
no semen or hairs.

- So we're looking at a pro.

- But we really want
to catch this guy.

- You're letting
Kat take the lead?

- We're giving her a shot.
She was first on scene,

she rode with her,
and she took the disclosure...

And I'm right here
if she needs me.

- Kat doesn't miss a trick.

Somebody must've stolen
her lunch money once.

- Or tried to.

- I tried
to scratch him for DNA,

but he choked me
with my headphone cord.

- Did you see his hands?

- Big, white maybe.

Or Hispanic.

They smelled bad.

- What kind of smells?

- Like a woody smell.

- Good, like, like a park?

- No, pencil sharpener smell.

- Good, Lupe.
Did you hear his voice?

- He said...

"Okay, chiquita,

do it nice for Papi."

[somber music]

♪

My real papi died.

- I'm so sorry, Lupe.

You okay?

You were saying that he...

- He said if I didn't...

You know...

he would go upstairs

to my little sister Gizelle.
[crying]

- So the rapist knew Lupe;
they knew her family.

- It's why he didn't
let her get a look at him.

- [sniffs]
He pulled down my pants...

Please, I don't want
anyone to know that.

- Hey...you don't have
to worry about that.

- [sniffles]
- Okay?

[knocking]

- Lupe's mom is here.

- I was working, um...

My husband died two years ago,
that 9/11 cancer,

so I work extra...

[sniffles]
if I had been there...

- You were working
for your family.

Listen to me,
this is not your fault.

- Ms. Perez, we think whoever
did this to Lupe knew her.

So can you think of anyone,

a neighbor, a teacher that
maybe pays too much attention?

- No...um...
Lupe's always in the library

or at the school lab or...

babysitting her little sister.
[whimpering]

[sniffles]
Please, I need to see Lupe.

- Of course.

- Last one.

I cleared all
the registered sex offenders

near Lupe's projects.

- And no leads on the canvass.
Do we have anything?

- Lupe said the perp's
hands were calloused,

smelled like wood shavings.
Maybe a projects worker?

- Okay, give me a list
of the maintenance guys

from the Jacob Lawrence Houses.

- I just got a weird hit
on the touch DNA

from Lupe's headphones.

It matches a double homicide
in the Wave View projects

in Far Rockaway...

from 2003.

- You have a closed rape
and double murder

from 16 years ago?

And they had the DNA
and never tested it?

- It was tested by mistake,

swept up while they were
going through the backlog.

- And the touch DNA on Lupe's
headphones matched the DNA

found under the fingernails
of which victim?

- Both.
Nydia Hernandez,

strangled with an electric cord
and her daughter, Jacinta.

She was sexually assaulted
and then strangled.

- Two teenagers confessed.

Ricardo Torres,
15 at the time.

He turned state's
on Carlos Hernandez, 18,

the son and brother
of the vics.

- And which of their DNA
matches Lupe's?

- That's the thing.
Neither.

- What does that mean?

That we're looking
at a third accomplice?

- Someone who was never caught.

- Okay, so we're gonna
need to talk with

Ricardo and Carlos.
Where are they now?

- Hernandez is still serving
25 to life in Green Haven.

- 25 to life and he never
gave up the third guy?

He's not talking.

- So take Carisi with you.

If he sees a DA, maybe he'll
think that he can cut a deal.

And what about Ricardo?

- Finished his 15 a year ago.

Last known,
Wave View Houses in Far Rock.

Parole officer's on vacay.

- That's leverage.

So, Rollins, Kat,
lean on him, hard.

- Just to be clear,
we've got a guy doing life

for murdering his mother
and his sister

and there was someone else's
DNA on the victim?

- Why check DNA?
They had confessions.

- Yeah, and it's the projects.

They were murdered
at a bad address.

- I'm gonna ask you again,
Carlos,

'cause we know
there was a third person

who helped kill
your mama and your kid sis.

- What you mean you know?

- We found DNA of a third man.
- You did?

So you know--
you know who did it.

You arrest him?

- If we knew who did it,
we wouldn't be asking.

- Man, I don't know
who killed them.

All I know is that Ricky
and me didn't do it, I swear.

I could never hurt
my mommy or little Jacinta.

That night, Ricky and me,
we was just hanging.

- Really?
That's not what he said.

This is
his handwritten confession.

Says that the whole thing

was your idea
and he just went along.

- Ricky was just a kid.

Detective Monte convinced him
if he turned state's on me,

he'd get man two
and out in 15.

- Then why'd you fess up?

- Because Monte and the DA
told me if I didn't confess,

that I'd get
the sayonara syringe.

Man, I was 18.

I didn't have no mommy
no more to help me.

- Look, Carlos, I don't know
what went down then,

but if you work with us now,

you give up your accomplice,

when you come up for parole,
I will go to the board.

- Why do you keep
saying accomplice, man?

I told you I wasn't even there.

- Come on, man, everybody
in here says they're innocent.

It's been 16 years.
That's almost half your life.

Why are you
covering for this guy?

- I swear to God,

I came home and I saw them
lying there like that.

It's all I've ever
thought about since.

- Carisi,
this is a waste of time.

- Hold on.

Carlos, you said that--

that you and Ricky were,
uh, you were hanging.

Where?

- That I can't say.

- I told you this
was a waste of time.

- Look, I'm not lying, okay?

After he was released,
Ricky sent me this.

He apologized for
putting me away.

He said he was just saving
himself and back then...

In Far Rock, we weren't angels.

All right, but my mommy?
She was all I had.

- Okay, you got
an alibi for that night?

Or this goes nowhere.

- Thank you for
your visit, gentlemen.

.

- Miss Baker?

- Morning, detectives.
Help y'all?

- Yes, ma'am.
You are Savannah Baker?

- Well, the kids call me
"Moms," Moms Baker.

Don't tell me another child

has died
from them dopey-oids.

- No, ma'am.

We're here looking
for Ricardo Torrez.

- The captain
of the housing unit

thought you might
know where he is.

- He paid his debt.

- No, no, we just want
to ask a few questions.

- And Carlos.

No way he would
hurt a June bug,

let alone his family.

- You know about the murders.

- I know he was a mama's boy.

Never raised a hand
to hurt another child.

- And what about Ricardo?

- If Ricky threw himself
on the floor, he'd've missed.

- But they both confessed.

- Down home
we call that "railroading,"

right, honey?

[scoffs]

Detective Monte...

that prosecutor...

They had the wrong boys,
but they didn't care.

- Well, that's why we
want to talk to Ricardo.

- Ricky lit right
back here from prison.

He was so skinny.
I knew he had the bug.

- HIV?

- Full-blown AIDS.
He caught that while inside.

He cried on my shoulder.

He had lied on Carlos

to save his own skin.

- Moms, you know where
we can find Ricky?

- He just passed.

Last week.

He asked me to, uh,

scatter him out there

where he and Carlos
skipped stones.

- I'm so sorry.

- Do you know who killed Ricky?

That detective.

You're sorry?
Talk to him.

- You're retiring to Florida?

Pension will go a lot further
down there, that's for sure.

- Yeah, disability.
I'm out on three quarters.

After collaring skells
like Hernandez and Torres,

I don't wanna die
shoveling snow here

in the stepchild borough.

- I hear that.
- Carisi, huh?

You related to Tony "No Toes"
Carisi up on Todt Hill?

- My mother says
all Carisis are related.

But about
Hernandez and Torres...

you wrapped that
case up pretty quick.

- First 48.
Listen, Counselor,

you're not on the job.
Any cop who saw that scene,

knew right away it had
to be banjos or bongos.

The vics were PRs,
the mother was a crack putan,

and the daughter was 13,
built like she was 23.

Her son, Carlos, yeah,

he was a big dopey stroonz,
horny as a bag of cats.

- For his own sister, really?

- An hour under the lamp
and the other one, Torres,

flipped like an acrobat.

A double homicide
cleared off the radio.

Why do you two care?

- We're working
a rape case, a young girl,

and we got
a DNA hit that matches

DNA from your crime scene.

- It's gotta be Hernandez.
He was the doer.

- No, neither.
Must've been a third man there.

Do you remember
any other suspects?

- Not a chance.
And let me tell you something.

Those two--
it's not their first time.

They were hitting
other projects.

Three or four rapes,
teenage girls.

Cases we couldn't make.
I just thank God

that they were stupid enough
to hit their own home.

- Carisi sent us cannolis

from his favorite bakery
in Staten Island.

- I'll make an exception.

- So, aside from
the baked goods,

did we get anything out there?

- Pretty much
what we suspected.

Detective Monte
wasn't interested in any

other suspects
and Carisi thinks

both confessions were coerced.

- So we're not looking
for the third guy in,

we're looking for the only guy.

- The one that
got away with it.

- You know, I thought
he was just trying to justify

what he did,
but Monte--Monte did say

that there'd been other rapes

in the projects
around the same time.

- So we could be
looking at a serial

who's been out
there for 16 years.

Okay, let's go back to unsolved
project rapes, check M.O.'s.

Kat, you got the records

of maintenance workers
at Lupe's projects, right?

- Yep.

- So cross check them and see
if anybody who worked there

also worked at
Wave View 16 years ago.

So we found 12
housing project rapes,

but these two most
closely fit the pattern.

- Maria Negron, 13.
Angela Lopez, 12.

Both lived at
the Jersey Street projects.

One happened in 2010,
the other in 2011.

- No DNA on either?

- No, they were both
assaulted from behind,

strangled with a cord,

and neither one of them
saw his face.

- And that's his M.O.
Any suspects?

- So there was 18
maintenance workers

that worked at all
three of these projects

that fit the timeline.

Seven are black, two are
deceased, one is disabled.

- So we're gonna need DNA
warrants on these eight guys.

- Eight? Why not make it nine?
Make it a ball team.

Come on, no judge
is gonna sign off on this.

You gotta
narrow it down for me.

- All right, so we can ask them
to volunteer for exclusion.

If they're innocent,

then they shouldn't
have a problem with that.

- Okay, anybody balks,
I'll get you a warrant.

- You're leaving us again?
- Got a pretrial motion.

Feel free to stay
as long as you want.

- All right,
so coordinate with Fin and Kat

and make sure that
you talk to all eight guys.

- Copy that.

- I'll meet you
back in the squadroom.

I have a lunch...

with my brother, Simon.

- Wow, it's been a while.
What does he want?

- He says that he wants
to get to know Noah.

- You believe him?

- I do.

- Tim Stanton.
[power drill buzzes]

- Yeah?
- NYPD.

Can we talk to you
for a minute?

- Uh, they keep me pretty busy.

- Yeah, well, we're here
investigating the assault

from the other night.
You heard about that?

- Yeah, horrible.

- You're the maintenance guy.

You been working
here for a long time?

- They send me
where they need me.

- Okay, well, you noticed
anybody that doesn't belong?

Trying doors,
checking out the stairwell?

- All the time.
Bangers, homeless, dealers.

Got guys on the registry
in this neighborhood.

- We're all over that.

Just hoping maybe you could
come check out some mug shots.

- Shouldn't the girl do that?

- She didn't get
a good look at him.

- Ah, that's too bad.

Listen,
I'd do anything to help, but,

I don't have a head for faces.

- There's something
else you could do.

We need your DNA to exclude
you from the investigation.

- My DNA put in the system?
That ain't happening.

Who knows what the government
does with that?

- We're just asking you
for a little help.

- Look, I feel
sorry for the girl,

but I got places to be.

You need anything else from me,

let me know.

- First guy to say no.

I'm calling Carisi
for a warrant.

- Yeah, save him the trouble.

- In that case, I'll call Liv.

- Great, and the lab knows
that it's a rush?

Okay.

Thanks, Rollins.
Nice work.

- [groans]
When's your friend

going to get here?

- I don't know, honey.

- I don't wanna be late
for dance class.

- Okay, sweetie, I'm sorry.
I know.

I'll find out.
I'll find out.

Hi, excuse me.

- Oh, did you want
to go ahead and order?

- Actually, we're still
waiting for our third.

Um, you're sure that
you didn't see a man,

he had dark hair, light eyes...

The reservation
was under Benson?

- I'll check again.
- Thank you.

You know what, Noah,
give me a second.

Simon, it's me and Noah,

and we are here
waiting for you.

Listen, uh, I knew that
this was a bad idea,

so...uh, don't--

don't bother
calling me back, okay?

As a matter of fact, Simon,
don't--don't ever call me.

.

- Captain.
- Good morning.

- We got a match
on Tim Stanton.

The lab confirms that
his DNA matches the touch DNA

on Lupe's headphones
and the DNA found

under the nails
of Jacinta and Nydia.

- I was ready to arrest
that guy right there.

- Hold on, let's wait.
Touch DNA on headphones...

I'd like to see Lupe
make a positive ID...

Where did you
leave it with Stanton?

- He pretended like
he wanted to help.

- So tell him that
we've collared a sex offender

that we know is good for this

and we just need help
with the lineup.

- You think he'll go for that?

- I think that he
let Hernandez and Torres

take the fall before.

He's just gonna think
that we've screwed up again.

See if Lupe
is up for a lineup.

- Cool.

- So Lupe said
she didn't see him,

but she did hear his voice.

So if she can't do a lineup,
see if she can do a voice ID.

- Yeah, copy that.
Um...listen,

I was out of line--
what I said about your brother.

- No, you weren't.

Noah doesn't need any more
confusion about his life.

That door's...
that door stays closed.

- Take your time.

- I didn't really see his face.

- But you heard
his voice, right?

- Yes.

- Would you be okay hearing

something that
he said to you again?

- Mm-hmm.

- Okay, number one.

- Okay, chiquita,
do it nice for Papi.

- Number two.

- I'm not comfortable
saying this.

- It's him.
- Just read the words.

- Do I have to say this?

- It's him.

- Okay, chiquita,
do it nice for Papi.

- It's him,
it's him, it's him.

[sobbing]
It's him.

It's him.
- It's okay.

- [sobbing]
- It's okay.

- Yeah, well, see,
I did some work

on Lupe's mom's
bathroom recently,

so I moved the kid's
headphones out of the way.

I didn't--didn't want
to get no water on 'em.

- That makes sense.

- So I'm good to go?
- More like good to go away.

We got another hit on your DNA,

from a 16-year-old attack
in Far Rock.

- The double murder?

No, the son
and his buddy confessed.

It can't be me.

That's, uh, like,
double jeopardy or something.

- Not really.

- Besides,
even if my DNA was there...

I probably worked
on that apartment, too.

- Work?
That's how your blood and skin

got under
the victim's fingernails?

- All due respect,

I think it's time for me
to shut down and lawyer up.

- Well, he's right.

It's gonna be pretty
hard to pin a double murder

on him when there's somebody
still sitting in prison for it.

- Lupe made a voice ID?
- She did.

- All right, arrest Stanton,
keep him in holding.

I'm gonna go up
and see Carlos Hernandez.

See if he can ID this scumbag.

- You just swipe.

- What I remember
is those maintenance guys

hardly ever came around.

Him, we waited
over a year for him

to fix Mommy's kitchen cabinet.

- He was in your apartment,
you're sure?

- Positive.

There was a family of mice
living under the sink

and I was scared to open it.

Now I live with rats.

This guy came,

plugs mice holes,
fixes the cabinet.

He even asked
Jacinta to teach him

her Shakira dance moves.

You think he killed them?

- Well, there's no sign
of forced entry.

Do you think your sister
would have let him in?

- Any time any of those guys
came around, you let them in.

You might not see
someone again for six months.

Why would he kill them?

- He's raping your sister,
your mother comes home...

- He'd've had to kill her.

He confess?

- No.

- But with his DNA, right,
and if Ricky testifies...

- Ricky won't be testifying.

- When did he pass?

- A few days ago.

- He felt bad about what
he did to me and to himself.

He's at peace now.

- And we still
have his letter.

Plus the new DNA.

I'm confident
when the Queens DA...

- Queens DA?
Is it still Keane?

- 16 years,
like the mummy's hand.

- Man, that guy--
he got himself elected

Queens DA
off of putting me away.

- Listen, Carlos,

I'm not gonna
promise you anything.

But I do know somebody
that works in that office.

A high ranking ADA.

I trust him.
He's a good guy.

- Yeah?
Why's he working for Keane?

- So you did it?
- Hi.

- From detective to ADA.
How's it going?

- Oh, I miss my gun
and the pay cut's no fun,

but I still remember

what you said
my first year at Fordham Law.

- Yeah, what was that?

- Better 100 guilty men go free

than one innocent man
be condemned.

- You know
I was quoting Voltaire.

- Of course, but it was
the way--the way you said it.

It was like you believed in it.

That's why I
brought this to you.

Did you get a chance
to go over the case file?

- Carlos Hernandez
had a terrible lawyer.

He and Ricky, they were kids.

They had their whole lives
taken from them.

- So you can help
Carlos get out?

- Look, it's tough to get
any DA to overturn a case,

let alone over here in Queens.
But a rape and double murder

my boss built his career on?

- There's no DNA.

Manhattan SVU has matched
it to a guy who's good

for a series
of housing projects rapes.

- Did he confess to this?

Why would he?

He knows it's a closed case,
two confessions.

- They both recanted.
Ricky in a dying declaration.

- Yeah, I read that, too.

- I know this was Keane's case,

but once he hears
the preponderance

of exculpatory evidence...

- You haven't heard...
about Keane.

- DA Keane is
ready for you now.

- Mr. Keane,
this is Manhattan ADA Carisi.

- Nice to meet you, sir.
- You, too, Mr. Keane.

Sir, I don't know if you've had
a chance to look over the...

- What case are you here about?

- The double homicide

of Nydia and Jacinta Hernandez
in Far Rockaway.

- You know why it's
called Far Rockaway?

- No, sir, actually, I don't.

- Because it's way far out.

- It was also the scene
of a brutal double murder.

It was your case, Mr. Keane.

- The victim's son confessed,

but his lawyer knew that
there was DNA at the scene.

He didn't ask
for it to be tested.

- Lawyers...
do you know that Shea Stadium

was named because of a lawyer?

Yes, William Shea.
It's still Shea Stadium.

- I did know that one, sir.

Um, now I know you're
very busy, Mr. Keane, but...

the reason I'm here
is about getting justice

for Carlos Hernandez.

- Hernandez,
what a good first baseman.

You know the Mets
couldn't have won anything

in '86 without him.

- I believe
that was Keith, sir.

- Hmm.

- I have some paperwork here
I'd like you to consider

signing, agreeing to vacate

the conviction
of Carlos Hernandez...

- Put it over there
on the table.

I'm very, very busy.
I'll do my best.

I want to impress upon you
both not to leave law school.

It can be a rewarding career.

- Okay, sir.

.

- DA Keane won't let this go?

- No, it was worse.
He had no idea

what I was asking him to do.

- What does that mean?

- For years, Keane's deputies

have covered up the fact

that he's suffering
from dementia.

- Well, how bad is it?
I mean, good days, bad days?

- Well, he thought
Carlos Hernandez played

first base
for the '86 Mets, so...

- Okay, well, what
about his deputies?

Can't they step up?
'Cause we have three more

rape kit hits
from Stanton's DNA.

Plus an eye-witness.

- Keane can't
even undo his tie,

never mind a 16-year-old
double homicide.

One of my former law
professors, he works

in the Queens DA's office,

he said he could try
to get Carlos a retrial.

- Sorry to interrupt, Captain.

Stanton's lawyer's here.
He needs a word.

- [sighs]

- My client will agree
to forcible touching

on the girl from
Jacob Lawrence Houses.

- He raped her.
- Says who?

- She didn't see her attacker
and DNA on headphones?

Probative of nothing.

- We have a voice ID.

- No eye witnesses,
only an ear witness.

I'll convince the jury that
little Lupe is deaf and blind.

- Little Lupe
is tougher than you think.

- Juries love me
and they don't like cops.

And that goes double for cops
who turned into prosecutors.

They're gonna hate you.
- Well, maybe not...

After they find out
your client's DNA

was at three
different rape scenes.

- And we have three
projects-strong girls,

just like Lupe, who will
follow her to the stand.

- We're going after
your client for all six rapes,

including the Far Rockaway
rape and the double murder.

- You're chasing
a 16-year-old murder case

with two confessions?
And a district attorney

who's playing poker
with tarot cards.

- You wanna cut a deal?
Your client allocutes

to the Hernandez murders
and maybe I can swing

criminally negligent homicide
and rape two on the other six.

- I ain't 'fessing
to no crack ho murders,

and I ain't copping
to no pedo rapes.

No short-eye pleas like those
'mos Torres and Hernandez did.

- What do you know about that?

- I got no idea how Carlos has
lasted 16 years in Green Haven.

Everyone knows he's a fag.

- All right, that's okay, Tim.
Look, we're done here.

I'll be taking my client
back to processing.

- Get him out of here.

- You insist to murders
and child rapes,

we'll go to the mat in my ring.

- Don't let him get to you.

- He didn't.
There's something Stanton said.

Carlos told me
that he had an alibi

for the night of the murders,
but he wouldn't talk about it.

Now I know why.

- A retrial?

I can't have no DA
asking me questions, man.

- Okay, Carlos...about that.

- Could we get a few minutes?

- Okay.

Carlos, whatever you say here

does not leave this room

if you don't
want it to, I swear.

Where were you that night?

- I was at the beach.

- What beach?

- Plumb Beach in Brooklyn.

- That's the boy-meets-boy
beach off the Belt Parkway?

That Plumb Beach, right?

- Okay, so you and Ricky
hooked up?

- That was the first time.

Beautiful night...

Until I got home

and I found my mommy
and Jacinta dead on the floor.

- Listen, Carlos,

a lot of people have come out
of the closet since then.

Times have changed.
- Not in here.

In here?

Out of the closet
means into a casket.

The other inmates
find out I'm gay?

Gangs will turn me
into a Maytag.

Washing socks and spit-shining.

- Yeah, we get it.

- I'd get bitched out
until I got the bug.

Like Ricky.

I know I'll never
walk again as a free man,

but can I ask you a favor?

- What's that, Carlos?

- At night...
I still get the horrors,

wondering where my mommy and
my little sister are buried.

Thinking that they're in
an even worse place than me.

I don't know...

Potter's field
or unmarked graves...

just lost souls.

Find out where
my family's buried.

- So Carlos and Ricky
were gay lovers

and he can't give that alibi
because he'll be raped inside.

- That's right.

- And you brought
this happy news to me

because...I'm gay.

- No, but it doesn't hurt.

I also know that you have
a justice gene buried under

that jaded
Queens Boulevard veneer.

- Look, maybe we can
get him protective custody

while he's awaiting trial.

- Protective custody
with his history?

PTSD, depression...
he could suicide.

Look, I'm--I'm asking you

to help me spring
an innocent man.

- Give me a night's sleep

to figure out
what Voltaire would do...

- Lupe would have to testify?
- I'm sorry, she would.

- She's been
through enough already.

And the lawyers?
They'll trick her.

- No one can catch me in a lie
if I just tell the truth.

- And she'd be prepped.

We'd be with her
every step of the way.

- Lupe,
you don't need to do this.

- Mama, if he goes free,

next time he might
just go after Gizelle.

- Okay.

- Thank you.
And thank you.

Okay, we'll be in touch.
[phone ringing]

Benson.

Yes?

What?

When?

Yeah, I'm on my way.

- Captain?
Bad news?

- Um...just have
a family thing.

Um, can you get back
to the precinct on your own?

- Of course.

- Okay.

.

- That's him.

That's my brother.

- I'm sorry.

- It was an OD?

- Heroin laced with fentanyl.

Found the body in a motel room,
no signs of foul play.

- He was using...

He told me that he was sober.

- He was telling you the truth.

If I had to guess,

he'd been clean
for quite a while.

- So it was not a suicide?

- Dosage wasn't large enough.

He just got his hands
on the wrong stuff.

[somber music]

♪

- Okay...

Well, thank you.

- You two were close.

- Not really, but, um...

He was my only family.

♪

[breathing shakily]

Simon...

- Hey, the transport van
just dropped Carlos off

outside of the courthouse.

You wanna tell me
what's going on, Counselor?

- Keane signed
the vacate order.

- He did?
That's great.

How'd you get
him to--to do that?

- He may have thought
he was graciously signing

a letter of recommendation
for my law school application.

- All right, I didn't hear that

and you did not say that,
but thank you.

- Welcome to Queens.

Let's go do this
before the ink dries

or any of
his deputies find out.

- It's all right.

- Counselor,
you're representing

the defendant,
Carlos Hernandez?

- Yes, Your Honor.

- I understand
you have a motion?

- I do.

Based on new
exculpatory evidence,

defense moves to vacate

the sentence
of Carlos Hernandez.

- People?

- The People believe there's
been a miscarriage of justice

in this case, Your Honor.
Due to newly discovered

DNA evidence implicating
a serial predator

in these crimes,
the People ask that

this verdict be vacated.

- Mr. Hernandez, please stand.

Carlos Hernandez,
I apologize on behalf

of the state of New York
for your wrongful imprisonment

that has cost you
16 years of your life.

It is my duty today to vacate
this unjust conviction.

[dramatic music]

You are free to go.

Bailiffs,
take off those chains.

♪

- You can walk like
a man now, Carlos.

- A free man.

- I don't understand.
Stanton's pleading guilty?

- To two murders.

- But not for Lupe's rape?

- Well, either way, he's going
far away for a very long time.

- And Lupe...
she won't have to testify.

- Okay...that's good.

- Can I give you a lift home?

- Si, gracias.

- Liv, are you okay?

- No...

I haven't told anyone,
but my brother, Simon...

He died.

- What?

- He overdosed.

[somber music]

- I'm sorry.

♪

- When he didn't
show for lunch,

I left him a message

and I told him not to call me.

What if my message...

[breathes shakily]

Is the last thing
that he heard?

- You don't know that.

The life he led...

more likely it was...

Just his time.

- [sniffles]

That stone looks new.

- Some people
read about your case.

There was a GoFundMe.

- A what?

- Folks chipped in.

- How can I ever thank you?

[sniffles]

.

[dramatic music]

♪

[wolf howls]