Law & Order Special Victims Unit s05e04 Episode Script
Loss
(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.
When we get home, Mommy's gonna fix you a nice piece of toast.
Would you like that? Yes, you would.
Oh, good doggy.
I think I'll just leave that right there.
No one's even gonna notice.
Come on.
We're going home now.
[Dog barking.]
Tootsie, come back here.
Where are you Tootsie.
Oh, you bad doggy.
You know you're not supposed to dig in other people's garbage.
Is that a fur coat? Oh, yes it is.
Why anybody would throw away Oh, no! Tootsie! Get away! Get away from her right now! [Siren wailing.]
Victim's Livia Tellez, 23, from Queens.
Found her naked, pocketbook in the trash, money and cards still in it.
You find her clothes? Just wearing the fur.
Old bat wants it when you're done.
(Benson) What's the story? Hasn't been dead more than 12 hours.
No stab or gunshot wounds.
You can see the trauma to the left side of her face and torso.
Beat her to death.
Rape kit? Positive for fluids.
She was moved post-mortem, too.
Lividity looks like she died on her back, but she was on her side when they found her.
Sounds like a dump job.
Question: Why here? She's got a boyfriend in the neighborhood.
He starts smackin' her around, she grabs the coat, tries to leave.
Or she's a high-priced call girl.
John's got some fantasy of her wearing nothing but the coat, only this time the john's a psycho.
I'm guessing whatever she was, she said something she shouldn't have.
How do you figure that? Guy cut out her tongue.
I don't see it around here.
You might want to check out that dog.
Such a big help.
[Police radio chattering.]
Dug up the tenant application.
I didn't really know her, but she seemed nice.
Pretty.
Pretty girl.
How long Ms.
Tellez live here? Little more than two years.
No problems.
Paid on time.
I don't see any references or previous addresses.
Same with half the people in this building.
I figured she was illegal.
Then I say, this whole country was founded by illegals, so who am I to judge? Where's she from? Puerto Rico maybe, or Mexico.
I can't tell.
You say she lived here two years.
This place doesn't look homey.
(super) Wasn't home much.
Probably had a boyfriend.
But I never saw anybody.
Look, uh, I got a leaky pipe to look at.
We'll let ourselves out.
Okay, you live like a monk.
How come somebody wouldn't have any knickknacks around? Some of us appreciate simplicity.
Others of us lost the knickknacks in the divorce settlement.
Look at this.
An airplane ticket stub from Miami, dated the day she died.
This is where she spent all her money.
Dolce & Gabbana, Versace.
Got to be $50,000 worth of ho gear here.
A hooker who pays taxes.
Social Security card.
She's not illegal.
(Stabler) TRW and Equifax both show no activity on that Social prior to June, 2001.
No bank accounts, no student loans, no jobs.
All of her credit cards were issued around the same time.
DMV says that Livia Tellez was issued a New York State drivers license same month, same year.
No prior driving record in any other state.
Nobody knew anything about this girl? Neighbors were passing acquaintances.
Vital statistics doesn't have anything on her or any living relative.
We can rule out identity theft.
Can't steal an identity that didn't exist till a few years ago.
Everything that we've found says that she just appeared out of nowhere.
What about witness protection? We checked.
She's not one of theirs.
Feel free to express your derision and ridicule, but I'm gonna say it: Spook.
I'm not ridiculing.
We've probably got spies from every country all over this city.
Ah, before we call in the CIA, let's see if the body can shed some light on who this girl really was.
(Warner) Tox screen came back positive for cocaine.
She have any tattoos? Anything that could help us identify her? No prominent scarring or birthmarks.
But I did find this tangled in her hair.
Chain was broken, I imagine during the attack.
No prints on it, other than her own.
Madonna and child, but I don't recognize the image.
It's a woman with a halo holding a baby.
My mother had 10 of them.
So she's a Catholic Latina.
That'll narrow it down.
Other than the face and torso wound, there's a scrape on her leg.
I found slivers of fiberglass in it.
That doesn't match anything CSU found at the dump site.
Maybe it happened where she was attacked.
Maybe this'll help you with the location.
Lab said they found a powdery substance imbedded in the fur.
I asked them to send it over.
I wanted to test my theory.
Cobalt thiocyanate.
[Spraying.]
Cocaine.
She was covered in it.
That much coke, could be a dealer.
Maybe in a room wearing the fur when they were cutting the base? She wasn't living the life of a dealer.
No drugs, money, or assets were found in her apartment.
Call girl still works if she was helping the dealer distribute.
It explains the trip down to Miami.
Let's keep walking.
What is it? Gray Chevy Caprice across the street.
Two white males inside.
Sitting on us? They were here before we saw Warner.
Who? I don't know.
Let's go ask them.
[Tires screeching.]
What the hell is this? Internal Affairs? Let the rat squad spin their wheels.
Let me take a look at that necklace again, huh? So Livia Tellez is a hooker with a soul, huh? Sounds like someone Sister Peg would want to save, doesn't it? (Sister Peg) Sorry, Detectives, I've never seen her.
But I'll say a prayer.
She went by Livia Tellez from Queens.
Can you show this to some of the girls and see if they knew her? Of course.
Dental dams, 1,000 count.
Business must be booming.
Can't keep them on the shelves.
Sister Peg, you ever see this image before? Looks like the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary.
Our Lady of Chiquinquira.
I've never heard of her.
This image is based on a miraculous painting.
See how she's standing on the crescent moon? Our victim was wearing this.
Does it mean anything significant? Our Lady of Chiquinquira is the patroness of Colombia.
I'd guess that's where your victim was from.
Father Castrillon is the pastor of St.
Augustine's in Queens.
A lot of his congregation is Colombian.
If she practiced her faith, maybe he knew her.
(Castrillon) Last time I saw Livia, she seemed so troubled, but she wouldn't let me help.
When was that, Father? Two or three months ago.
She stopped coming to mass around then.
I'll bet she was a member of the parish for, like, two years? That's right.
She tell you where she was before that? No.
She was very secretive.
I think she wanted to tell me.
That's why I asked her to come to confession, that God would forgive all.
She promised, as soon as she finished her work.
She say what kind of work? No, but it must have paid well.
When she first came to this parish, she donated all her furniture for our charity drive and wouldn't take a cent for it.
Just asked us to pick it up from storage.
Do you happen to remember where that storage facility was? We hired a moving van to go get it.
But I believe we have the invoice from the moving company, so perhaps it has the address.
(Benson) Here we go.
Livia Tellez's unit.
Paid for in cash, three years in advance.
Everything we want to know about her, all in one room.
(Benson) Ah, Filed under Livia Sandoval.
It's a different Social altogether.
But she didn't change her first name.
There's something here from 2001.
That's the year she changed to her new identity.
Liv.
What? She was a cop.
(Hammond) Detectives.
I didn't know there were rats in here.
It's the gray Chevy Caprice boys.
Why you guys tailin' us? Agents Jack Hammond, Tim Donovan.
Drug Enforcement Administration.
I think it's time we all had a sit-down, don't you? Why is the DEA following my detectives? To make sure they weren't working for the people we're investigating.
You sure now? If I weren't, you'd already be in federal lockup, Det.
Stabler.
Off.
Sandoval's prints were red-flagged in the system.
When you ran them, it tipped us off.
It didn't occur to you that we ran them because we were investigating her murder.
At the time, I didn't know she was dead.
Off.
Sandoval checked in every two weeks with Agent Donovan to minimize exposure.
A week ago she was alive and did not indicate any problems.
She got burned? We have two other operatives inside.
They say her cover was intact.
We're not sure why she was killed.
They cut her tongue out.
That seems like a message.
(Hammond) We can't comment on that.
Well, then, maybe you can comment on what Livia Sandoval was doing for the DEA.
She was part of an Intel case that intersected with our own investigation.
NYPD loaned her to us.
What case? (Hammond) We can't say.
Well, let's see.
A Colombian undercover with a key of cocaine on her fur coat working for the DEA.
I wonder who she could possibly have been investigating.
Let's cut the crap.
An NYPD officer was raped and murdered on your watch.
If you think we'll let this slide, you're dreaming.
Hey, nobody wants this guy to skate.
But this is two years of work, hundreds of thousands of dollars invested.
Our operatives were introduced into the organization by Livia.
If word gets out she was a cop, they're dead.
If we do nothing on a case that's been in the papers, it's just as conspicuous.
Okay, we can play ball here.
We investigate the murder of Livia Tellez, a hooker who was dating a drug dealer.
Nobody has to hear about the DEA or the undercover job.
Nothing written regarding DEA involvement or Livia's true identity.
It'd be subject to subpoena by the defense.
And not a word to your ADA.
Fine.
You want to give us a place to start? (Hammond) No, we don't.
You wanted this case, Captain.
You got it.
[Door opening.]
Good luck.
From now on, this room is command central.
Everything pertinent to this case stays in here.
The fewer people who know the particulars, the better.
We got reasons to be paranoid.
Colombian drug organizations got a lot of people on the payroll.
What do we know about the victim's true identity? Livia Sandoval entered this country in 1993 from Medellin, Colombia, at the age of 13.
At 18, she became a citizen.
She attended Hudson University, two years, and then in 2000 she took the police exam, nailed it.
We think Intel snapped her out of the applicant pool to the Police Academy.
We can assume at some point she made friends with a member of a Colombian organization.
We have any idea who she was looking at? (Fin) Could be anyone, anywhere.
In Narcotics, we found Colombian stash houses in Yonkers, Queens, Jersey, Manhattan.
(Cragen) You got an old pal in Narcotics you can trust? I got one guy I came up through the ranks with.
He's as straight as they come.
You got to be kidding me with this Deep Throat crap.
You got any better ideas? Yeah.
Stay the hell away from this case.
These are bad guys.
It can't be helped.
They dropped a rape victim in my lap.
What'd you find? Two-year DEA investigation, dead girl living in Jackson Heights from Medellin.
Sounds like they're looking to extradite.
Who? Cesar Velez.
I remember that name.
He whacked a judge and a CIA informant in Bogota a couple of years back.
He's a major player.
He supplies 10 percent of the coke coming into the US.
Who handles his business on this side? He has some cousins running the wholesale side in Queens, cutting and distributing to the Dominican dealers.
We popped a few on small possession beef, but we can't get a handle on the big stuff.
Collar anybody that'll cooperate? You looking to steal a snitch from me? I just want to talk to him.
Your name never comes up.
Dominican dealer, Felix Santos.
He sells up in Washington Heights by the bus terminal.
He's a punk, but if you bust him for possession, he'll talk.
You know I owe you.
You be careful, man.
These guys blow up commercial airliners just to kill one person.
There's no rules.
(Munch) There you go, Felix.
Papa, that's regular.
I said diet.
You're gonna want this sugar, so drink it.
Okay.
You people want to treat me like that, that's fine.
I just make my phone call to some very influential peoples, they tell you what my rate is.
Rate for what? My assistance.
And let me tell you, the price is going up by the second.
Say we don't pop you for possession with intent to distribute.
Whatever.
You know her? Yeah.
That Livia.
[Speaks Spanish.]
Why you call her a cream puff? Rafael made it up.
Yeah, well she's dead.
Who's Rafael? Rafael Zapata.
Lieutenant for Cesar Velez.
(Fin) How did Rafael and Livia know each other? She was banging him.
I mean, one of the girls banging him.
Look, I only met her a couple of times.
She was high on everything.
And when she got high, she got mouthy.
Rafael doesn't like that.
Define "mouthy.
" I saw them a couple of weeks ago.
She's going on about how Rafael couldn't get it up in the bedroom.
Come on, what kind of stupid girl gonna say that about a man, in front of his friends? And what would a man like Rafael do in this situation? That time? Smacked her up good.
(Stabler) Rafael Zapata Gaviria.
Cesar Velez's organization.
Zapata's a Colombian national in this country on a legitimate work visa.
Purchased for $10,000 in Bogota, most likely.
Zapata was arrested twice in Queens for murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Never indicted.
Somebody always conveniently came forward and confessed to the crimes.
Yeah, somebody with family back in Colombia.
Velez holds them as collateral.
He could slaughter them at will.
It's a big incentive to do what you're told.
I ran Zapata's financials.
He's quite the businessman.
He owns several cellular phone and pager stores, real estate both here and in Miami, and recently spent $1.
5 million on oil drilling equipment.
Money laundering.
You pay 30 times more than it's worth, it looks like a legitimate transaction.
The feds have got to have this stuff already, so what we need to do is corroborate Santos' statement and tie Zapata to Livia.
Well, we've got his credit card charges on the day of Livia's murder.
He flew back from Miami on the same flight that she did.
Spent $4,000 shopping, going to dinner, and seeing a show.
That's a lot of cash to spend in one day.
If she was with him, somebody's got to remember.
(manager) Two for lunch? Like to speak with the manager.
That's me.
What about? A customer of yours.
He was here the other night.
Rafael Zapata? I'm sorry, I don't know that person.
We'll keep your name out of this.
Now, was he here with this woman? No, he wasn't.
Look, we can charge you with obstruction, but we don't want to.
Then charge me.
I have a wife and three children.
I can't help you.
[Cell phone ringing.]
Either Zapata paid him real well or scared the piss out of him.
Or both.
Benson.
Agent Donovan, I didn't expect to hear from you.
What's he want? A meeting, now.
Where? Apparently on the roof across the street.
You talked to my informant.
Yeah.
We're investigating our rape case, as instructed.
Who gave him to you? Oh, now we're supposed to share information with you because you've been forthcoming with us? Screw you.
He's working with DEA.
You guys are putting everything in jeopardy.
Well, he must be moonlighting with NYPD Narcotics, 'cause that's how we found him.
You're off him.
Oh, yeah? Yeah.
Nobody from your squad contacts Santos again.
Felix has been apprised of the situation.
We warned you to use caution.
And we have.
Santos doesn't know that Livia was a cop.
Nobody said a word about DEA.
Keep it that way.
We're done.
Hey, did you tell Livia to do coke and screw Zapata to make your case or was that her idea? You don't know anything about her.
I know you were supposed to protect her, and you let her die! And I know you feel so guilty that you'd rather let her killer get away with it than think about what you didn't do to help her.
I didn't tell her to do drugs.
I didn't tell her to do any of that.
She wanted to nail those guys, she did what she thought she had to do.
You didn't see how bad it was getting? (Donovan) She was getting the job done.
I didn't think she was in over her head.
I should have pulled her.
I didn't.
That's my responsibility.
My my mistake.
(Benson) Hey! We have no intention of taking your case and we realize that other lives are at stake, but we're flying blind here.
If you don't tell us something to implicate Zapata, then we are never gonna make this right.
Your ME found bits of fiberglass on her body.
Then I know where he killed her.
(Benson) Zapata's love boat.
He keeps it in Battery Park.
He must be compensating for something to need a yacht that big.
What's the connection? The ME found slivers of fiberglass in the victim's leg.
The hull of that yacht is made of the same material.
We just found out that Zapata owned it.
We didn't know, because his assets are held under shell companies.
How'd you find out? Confidential informant.
Now, is that enough for a warrant? As long as the informant's reliable.
Beyond reproach.
Has he provided accurate information for you in the past? No, but the nature of his job puts him in a position to receive sensitive information.
Alex, we believe him.
Well, that's very comforting.
Tell me something that will actually help me get the warrant.
Alex, you've got to trust us.
(policeman #1) Police! Put your hands up where I can see them! Hands, now! Rafael Zapata Gaviria.
[Music stops.]
Zapata! I'm Rafael Zapata.
You may put your weapons away.
We are all peaceful here.
Zapata, we have a warrant to search this vessel.
Everybody out now.
Line them up on the docks.
That means you.
Let's go.
Out.
May I ask what's this regarding? I have nothing to hide.
You sure about that? Law enforcement is always searching my private property.
They never find anything.
This time, you don't know what we're looking for.
Smell that? Bleach.
Yep.
Flip it.
Okay.
It's damp here.
The bleach worked on the surface.
It just didn't go deep enough.
(Stabler) Hey, Rafael Zapata, you're under arrest for the murder of Livia Tellez.
Get up.
Put you hands behind your back.
You're under arrest.
You're making a very big mistake, Detective.
You don't even know how many mistakes you've made.
Let's go.
Docket ending 644, People v.
Rafael Zapata Gaviria.
One count each, murder in the second degree, rape in the first degree.
Lionel Granger for the defense, Your Honor.
(Petrovsky) How does the defendant plead? Not guilty.
Ms.
Cabot? The defendant is a Colombian national with known ties to major drug organizations.
He has unlimited resources at his disposal and we consider him a flight risk.
We request remand, Your Honor.
My client has never been charged with anything related to drug trafficking.
And I consider the People's baseless accusations slanderous and bigoted.
Noted, Mr.
Granger.
But I'd really like to hear your thoughts on the matter of bail.
Mr.
Zapata is a respected business and family man.
He has no intention of fleeing this jurisdiction and is willing to turn over his passport for the pendency of the case.
The defendant has among his assets a Gulfstream jet, Your Honor, as well as personal airstrips in the Caribbean and South America.
Turning over his passport is a meaningless gesture.
He's blessed with wealth, so he must be guilty? He has a clean record, Your Honor.
And his passport won't be the only thing he turns over.
Bail is set at $5 million.
Next case.
[Gavel bangs.]
(clerk) Docket ending 872, People v.
Ruda Clerk.
Lionel.
Zapata still has you on retainer, I see.
That explains the $3,000 suit.
How'd you get the blood out? My wife bought me this suit.
Everybody deserves a defense, Alex.
I would believe your idealism if you weren't enjoying yourself so much.
I'm just a naturally happy person.
What is this? Motion to controvert the search warrant.
And I will enjoy this.
(Lionel) The warrant to search my client's property was executed based on information received from a confidential informant.
Which a common occurrence.
It was a warrant you signed yourself.
Based upon your detectives' affidavit that the informant met the test for reliability.
There's no reason to belabor this.
Produce the guy, show me he knows what he's talking about, I'll be satisfied.
Your honor, this defeats the purpose of the use of CI's.
People v.
Goggins: The identity of an informant may be kept confidential to protect the flow of information and the safety of the informant.
How do we even know this person exists? The fact that the information was accurate.
That doesn't prove the informant's legal veracity and you know that, Ms.
Cabot.
The forensic evidence supported the CI's statement.
A couple of pieces of fiberglass? Do you know how many things are made out of fiberglass? She could have been killed in a Corvette.
The fibers matched the hull of Mr.
Zapata's yacht.
I can show you 10 yachts in that marina made of the same material.
You can't show me the mattress soaked in the victim's blood.
That possession is unique to your client.
(Lionel) This person knew the location of a homicide.
That's it.
The so-called informant could have committed the murder himself.
Your Honor, I hope you can see this for what it is.
A scare tactic to intimidate an informant.
I'm ordering a Darden hearing.
Ms.
Cabot, you are to produce the informant, and I will interview him in camera.
And if I find that he meets the test for reliability, the evidence from the search stays.
Your informant would only have to talk to the judge in chambers.
No one else would be present.
No good, Alex.
It's going to have to be.
I put my neck on the line for you two people.
I would like it back.
He could lose his job.
Worst case, he could get killed.
Well, he should've thought about that before he talked to you.
Who is he? [Door opening.]
Alex Cabot with the DA's office.
Were you followed? I beg your pardon? Did anyone follow you from your office to the DEA? I don't believe so, but I can't be sure.
Now you're going to tell me how you know about my job and how you know this is dangerous but, uh, you can protect me.
Is that about right? I freely admit I know very little about the dangers of your job.
That doesn't change the fact that you gave information as a confidential informant and now that information has to be verified.
You won't have to testify in open court.
The answer's no.
Let me tell you a little bit about my job, Agent Donovan.
After I tell the judge that I cannot produce the informant, she is going to issue a John Doe material witness order.
If I don't give her your name, I will be found in contempt.
That's your call, your conscience.
I can tell you right now, I'm not going to jail for you or for my conscience.
Then drop the case.
I can't.
You do what you got to do, Ms.
Cabot.
But when things go down, the blood's gonna be on your hands.
There has to be a way to work this out so that everyone is protected.
You really don't know anything about this, do you? Your SVU detectives got you in a real mess, Alexandra.
They were trying to cooperate with a federal investigation.
They didn't have much of a choice.
I'm not asking you to defend them.
I'm just trying to figure out how you'll get out of it.
There's nothing to get out of.
Petrovsky will subpoena the DEA agent, the warrant will stand, and Zapata will go away for 25 to life.
That easy, huh? Everyone understands the sensitive nature of the DEA investigation.
Petrovsky has no reason to jeopardize that.
All efforts will be made to maintain the witness's confidentiality.
So you're operating under the theory that if we don't see the immediate threat, then it must not be real.
I know it's real.
An NYPD officer is dead because of it.
Yes, that's true.
And how many people would you guess know that information now? I'm not sure.
A dozen.
Maybe more.
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Now, you know as well as I do that "confidential" is a relative term directly proportionate to how interesting said confidential information is.
And this is too interesting, Alexandra.
Cut Zapata a deal.
(Alex) Manslaughter, 8 to 10.
Pass.
Maybe you should ask your client what he thinks.
I also pass.
What are you even bargaining with, Alex? You don't have a case.
You certainly don't have your alleged informant.
I will have the informant, once the judge issues her subpoena.
You're assuming that the informant will comply with the judge's request.
And why wouldn't he, Mr.
Zapata? Who can say why people do what they do? It's a mystery.
You don't know who the informant is, so how can you possibly know what he might do? So you say.
Tell you what, you get your informant lined up, I promise we'll take the deal.
(Alex) Take it now or it's gone.
And for future reference, if your client intimidates the informant in any way, I will have his bail revoked and his ass thrown in Rikers for the duration of the trial.
You can't threaten me, bitch.
I just did.
We're going.
You allow this? A woman says these things and you do nothing? Yes, Mr.
Zapata.
You will also find that a woman can say whatever she wants to about your performance in the bedroom, and you aren't actually allowed to kill her.
Let's not do anything stupid.
[Door opening.]
(Granger) Everything's fine.
Everything's fine.
Okay.
That was fun.
Let's go, Rafael.
[Door closes.]
(Stabler) You're crazy.
I was hoping he'd think about that information coming out in court.
And he pissed you off.
That, too.
What does Branch think, since the deal's shut down? We move forward with the trial.
We warn the DEA's office, and they have a chance to pull their undercovers if it's necessary.
You're going to blow a two-year investigation.
This is the best option of only bad options.
We either prosecute Zapata ourselves or drop it, give him his passport, he leaves the country, and the DEA's case is blown.
The fact of the matter is that Zapata blew the DEA's investigation wide open when he raped and murdered Livia.
There you go.
Okay.
Bye.
I got called to an ex parte meeting in Petrovsky's chambers.
What do you think that's about? Nothing good.
Excuse me.
ADA Cabot, I'm George Reilly with the DOJ.
This is Daniel Clark and Brian Sullivan with the US Attorney's Office.
You might be wondering what this is about.
Can I guess? The federal government is about to steamroll New York.
This is a protective order issued by a federal judge in the Southern District of New York State barring Petrovsky from subpoenaing a federal law enforcement agent on the grounds it would jeopardize an ongoing investigation.
There's nothing we can do about this? Not unless you have other evidence to support probable cause, your search is out.
Your Honor I don't like it either, Ms.
Cabot.
And Mr.
Reilly, I don't ever want this many lawyers in my chambers again.
So next time, leave the dog and pony show at home.
Understood, Your Honor.
They can just go over the judge's head, and that's it? I'll appeal it to the Second Circuit.
Now we're getting into a violation of state's rights.
Ms.
Cabot I thought you didn't want to show your face around here.
We have received a credible threat.
It didn't come from us.
We have kept your identity confidential.
The threat was made against you.
(man #1) Hey, how's my girlfriend? (man #2) Good.
Very good.
(Donovan) Second guy's an inmate incarcerated at a federal penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
One of Cesar Velez's guys.
This call was recorded six hours ago.
We haven't yet identified the other man.
I'm gonna pick her up.
Maybe this week.
All right.
She's living at 235 West, 78th.
Apartment "C" like Charlie.
Gets home around 8.
00.
That's my address.
Jogs at 6.
00.
Son of a bitch.
You could go jogging with her.
Central Park.
I was thinking I could visit her mother.
That's an idea.
Mom lives upstate, East Amherst.
Oh, my God.
But you should really try to see your girlfriend.
It's important.
How do they know this? Cesar Velez has a network in the federal prisons.
We're trying to ascertain where the information's coming from.
Have you noticed anyone following you? Any problems with your telephone service at the office or your home? No, not that I can remember.
Okay, so as of now, we get a protective detail.
You step foot outside, you have an armed escort.
We'll have to rig a security system at the office and the apartment.
Federal marshal's lined up to escort you.
Should be here within the hour.
No, I want to go home now.
Okay, we'll take you.
Ms.
Cabot.
We're gonna find the guy.
And we'll tie him to Zapata.
He'll go away for life.
Okay.
And if we can't, I'll go to your judge.
I'll testify in open court.
So I don't want you to worry.
This is handled.
Got it? Got it.
Good night.
Alex.
Why don't you stay with me tonight until we figure this whole thing out? No, it'll be okay.
But thanks.
Okay, let's do a drive-by first to make sure nothing looks off.
[Car alarm beeping.]
[People chattering.]
[Siren wails.]
[Police radio chattering.]
(Benson) Hey.
Come on, let's go.
Alex, you couldn't have done anything differently.
Donovan made a choice.
We all did.
How? L I don't know.
You don't know? He had two kids.
Did you know that? Knock it off.
You were careless.
You didn't listen.
Do you get it now? Is it sinking in? Enough.
Enough.
You've got to get yourself off this case.
End of story.
(Hammond) Oh, you don't have a case.
It blew up with Tim Donovan.
Initial report from the bomb squad.
Turned up evidence of C4 and part of the detonator in the debris field.
The trigger was rigged to the ignition.
The explosive was placed under the driver's seat.
Every bomb-maker has a signature.
FBI lab is running the individual components through their database looking for a match.
It doesn't matter.
We know who did it.
It's Cesar Velez fixing things for Zapata.
The more important question is, how did Velez know Donovan was the CI? Same way he knows where you and your mother live.
He's got the money and the power.
He's not gonna stop until you back off or you're dead.
I have a protective detail, my mom has a protective detail.
I'm not backing off.
Alex, there's no reason for you to die for this case.
Men like Zapata and Velez live on other people's fear.
It doesn't matter if I try this case or somebody else in my office does.
The intimidation is always there.
So I can either accept it as a part of my job or concede everything.
But I don't want to put any of that on you.
The DA's office has investigators.
Who are a bunch of punks.
I'm in.
So am I.
Okay.
Let's start by dragging in every single guest from Zapata's little boat party.
Somebody knows about Livia's murder.
Alex, can I see you in my office? [Door closes.]
I figured you were too gung ho to let this die.
Don, I appreciate the concern.
My old service revolver.
It's a straight shot.
Won't jam up.
I had the license division expedite a carry permit for you.
Without my signature? [Phone ringing.]
Your prints are on file.
Cragen.
Yeah, she's here.
I'll let her know.
Boss is looking for you.
[Knocking on door.]
(Branch) Come on in.
Your ears still ringin'? Yeah, a little.
That'll pass.
You know, I had a buddy who did three years in Bogota at the embassy.
There was a time when one police officer got murdered every single day.
Over a two-month period, Pablo Escobar set off nine car bombs.
Well, it's a good thing we live in the United States.
Yes, it is.
There are plenty of judges and prosecutors and former law enforcement in this country walking around every day, the rest of their lives, with body guards, because they stood up against a Colombian cartel that will do anything to protect this business.
That's all the more reason to continue to fight them.
We've been fighting them since before you were born, Alexandra.
Now, we're going to drop the Zapata case.
Why? How bad does this have to get? How many more people have to die? From what I hear the feds have a much better case against him than we would ever have now.
And to answer your question, too many people have died already.
(Alex) At this time, the People are unable to proceed and are asking that the indictment against Rafael Zapata Gaviria be dismissed with leave to represent.
The charges are dismissed, Mr.
Zapata.
Court is adjourned.
US Marshals, Mr.
Zapata.
You are under arrest for the murder of a federal agent.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to speak to an attorney and to have an attorney present during any questioning.
If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.
The FBI connected the car bomb to Zapata.
He's gonna flip on Cesar Velez.
If the DEA can get an indictment, the Colombians will arrest Velez and start the extradition process.
What does Zapata get for his troubles? A reduced sentence and a new identity in Scottsdale, Arizona probably.
If he lives that long.
On that note, I'll say good night.
You have to give me a ride early tomorrow.
You need some sleep.
You need to hire a driver.
Good night.
Night.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Bye.
(Stabler) Look, we had a good run.
Conviction rate's are up.
We had to get screwed sometime.
Cesar Velez can probably do more damage to Zapata now than the justice system ever could.
It just It never seems like enough, you know.
The feds will get Zapata for killing Donovan.
But what about Livia Sandoval? She dies without any justice and we're supposed to be happy about it? We tell ourselves that we speak for the victims, but we don't.
We can close cases.
But the victims, even if they survive, their lives are ruined.
I just get so sick of it.
Alex, we can't always win.
But that's just it.
Even when we win, we don't.
Come on.
Let's get out of here.
Get you a cab? No, I'm not far.
I'll walk.
Thanks, though.
Look, I'm sorry I'm such a buzz kill.
Oh, don't be silly.
It's late.
[Gun firing.]
Get down! (man) Go, go, go! Alex.
No.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
No, no, no.
Somebody call an ambulance! Call 911 now! Alex.
It's okay, Alex.
Alex, look at me.
It's okay, sweetie.
Stay with me.
Stay with me.
Stay with me, Alex.
They're coming right now.
You're gonna be okay.
Alex, you're gonna be okay.
Look at me.
You're gonna be just fine.
You're gonna be just fine.
Now, just stay with me.
[Panting.]
Alex, Alex, Alex, Alex.
It's okay.
Look at me.
[Phone ringing.]
We get a trial date on that Richmond case? It's postponed.
We're gonna lose that witness.
She was shaky to begin with.
Well, nothing we can do.
You got SVU cases being handled by ADAs from other bureaus.
They don't give a damn.
Well, isn't that nice? What? Rafael Zapata Gaviria was found dead in a holding cell awaiting a hearing.
No witnesses.
There goes the Velez's extradition.
I long for the days when the government would send in the Delta Force assassination squad.
DEA Agent Hammond wants to see you guys tonight.
There's the address.
(Stabler) What for? (Cragen) Something about closin' out the case.
[Crickets chirping.]
Nice location.
Convenient.
Sorry.
Only way to do this.
Do what? Wouldn't take no for an answer.
Real pain in the ass, this one.
I am so sorry about all of this.
Your funeral's tomorrow.
And you're both expected to attend.
For the time being, Ms.
Cabot's better off dead.
If Velez can get to Zapata, he can get to her.
Witness protection.
Until Velez is extradited or otherwise dealt with.
How long? (federal marshal) We're on the move.
Sorry, folks.
Move them out.
[Car doors closing.]
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.
When we get home, Mommy's gonna fix you a nice piece of toast.
Would you like that? Yes, you would.
Oh, good doggy.
I think I'll just leave that right there.
No one's even gonna notice.
Come on.
We're going home now.
[Dog barking.]
Tootsie, come back here.
Where are you Tootsie.
Oh, you bad doggy.
You know you're not supposed to dig in other people's garbage.
Is that a fur coat? Oh, yes it is.
Why anybody would throw away Oh, no! Tootsie! Get away! Get away from her right now! [Siren wailing.]
Victim's Livia Tellez, 23, from Queens.
Found her naked, pocketbook in the trash, money and cards still in it.
You find her clothes? Just wearing the fur.
Old bat wants it when you're done.
(Benson) What's the story? Hasn't been dead more than 12 hours.
No stab or gunshot wounds.
You can see the trauma to the left side of her face and torso.
Beat her to death.
Rape kit? Positive for fluids.
She was moved post-mortem, too.
Lividity looks like she died on her back, but she was on her side when they found her.
Sounds like a dump job.
Question: Why here? She's got a boyfriend in the neighborhood.
He starts smackin' her around, she grabs the coat, tries to leave.
Or she's a high-priced call girl.
John's got some fantasy of her wearing nothing but the coat, only this time the john's a psycho.
I'm guessing whatever she was, she said something she shouldn't have.
How do you figure that? Guy cut out her tongue.
I don't see it around here.
You might want to check out that dog.
Such a big help.
[Police radio chattering.]
Dug up the tenant application.
I didn't really know her, but she seemed nice.
Pretty.
Pretty girl.
How long Ms.
Tellez live here? Little more than two years.
No problems.
Paid on time.
I don't see any references or previous addresses.
Same with half the people in this building.
I figured she was illegal.
Then I say, this whole country was founded by illegals, so who am I to judge? Where's she from? Puerto Rico maybe, or Mexico.
I can't tell.
You say she lived here two years.
This place doesn't look homey.
(super) Wasn't home much.
Probably had a boyfriend.
But I never saw anybody.
Look, uh, I got a leaky pipe to look at.
We'll let ourselves out.
Okay, you live like a monk.
How come somebody wouldn't have any knickknacks around? Some of us appreciate simplicity.
Others of us lost the knickknacks in the divorce settlement.
Look at this.
An airplane ticket stub from Miami, dated the day she died.
This is where she spent all her money.
Dolce & Gabbana, Versace.
Got to be $50,000 worth of ho gear here.
A hooker who pays taxes.
Social Security card.
She's not illegal.
(Stabler) TRW and Equifax both show no activity on that Social prior to June, 2001.
No bank accounts, no student loans, no jobs.
All of her credit cards were issued around the same time.
DMV says that Livia Tellez was issued a New York State drivers license same month, same year.
No prior driving record in any other state.
Nobody knew anything about this girl? Neighbors were passing acquaintances.
Vital statistics doesn't have anything on her or any living relative.
We can rule out identity theft.
Can't steal an identity that didn't exist till a few years ago.
Everything that we've found says that she just appeared out of nowhere.
What about witness protection? We checked.
She's not one of theirs.
Feel free to express your derision and ridicule, but I'm gonna say it: Spook.
I'm not ridiculing.
We've probably got spies from every country all over this city.
Ah, before we call in the CIA, let's see if the body can shed some light on who this girl really was.
(Warner) Tox screen came back positive for cocaine.
She have any tattoos? Anything that could help us identify her? No prominent scarring or birthmarks.
But I did find this tangled in her hair.
Chain was broken, I imagine during the attack.
No prints on it, other than her own.
Madonna and child, but I don't recognize the image.
It's a woman with a halo holding a baby.
My mother had 10 of them.
So she's a Catholic Latina.
That'll narrow it down.
Other than the face and torso wound, there's a scrape on her leg.
I found slivers of fiberglass in it.
That doesn't match anything CSU found at the dump site.
Maybe it happened where she was attacked.
Maybe this'll help you with the location.
Lab said they found a powdery substance imbedded in the fur.
I asked them to send it over.
I wanted to test my theory.
Cobalt thiocyanate.
[Spraying.]
Cocaine.
She was covered in it.
That much coke, could be a dealer.
Maybe in a room wearing the fur when they were cutting the base? She wasn't living the life of a dealer.
No drugs, money, or assets were found in her apartment.
Call girl still works if she was helping the dealer distribute.
It explains the trip down to Miami.
Let's keep walking.
What is it? Gray Chevy Caprice across the street.
Two white males inside.
Sitting on us? They were here before we saw Warner.
Who? I don't know.
Let's go ask them.
[Tires screeching.]
What the hell is this? Internal Affairs? Let the rat squad spin their wheels.
Let me take a look at that necklace again, huh? So Livia Tellez is a hooker with a soul, huh? Sounds like someone Sister Peg would want to save, doesn't it? (Sister Peg) Sorry, Detectives, I've never seen her.
But I'll say a prayer.
She went by Livia Tellez from Queens.
Can you show this to some of the girls and see if they knew her? Of course.
Dental dams, 1,000 count.
Business must be booming.
Can't keep them on the shelves.
Sister Peg, you ever see this image before? Looks like the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary.
Our Lady of Chiquinquira.
I've never heard of her.
This image is based on a miraculous painting.
See how she's standing on the crescent moon? Our victim was wearing this.
Does it mean anything significant? Our Lady of Chiquinquira is the patroness of Colombia.
I'd guess that's where your victim was from.
Father Castrillon is the pastor of St.
Augustine's in Queens.
A lot of his congregation is Colombian.
If she practiced her faith, maybe he knew her.
(Castrillon) Last time I saw Livia, she seemed so troubled, but she wouldn't let me help.
When was that, Father? Two or three months ago.
She stopped coming to mass around then.
I'll bet she was a member of the parish for, like, two years? That's right.
She tell you where she was before that? No.
She was very secretive.
I think she wanted to tell me.
That's why I asked her to come to confession, that God would forgive all.
She promised, as soon as she finished her work.
She say what kind of work? No, but it must have paid well.
When she first came to this parish, she donated all her furniture for our charity drive and wouldn't take a cent for it.
Just asked us to pick it up from storage.
Do you happen to remember where that storage facility was? We hired a moving van to go get it.
But I believe we have the invoice from the moving company, so perhaps it has the address.
(Benson) Here we go.
Livia Tellez's unit.
Paid for in cash, three years in advance.
Everything we want to know about her, all in one room.
(Benson) Ah, Filed under Livia Sandoval.
It's a different Social altogether.
But she didn't change her first name.
There's something here from 2001.
That's the year she changed to her new identity.
Liv.
What? She was a cop.
(Hammond) Detectives.
I didn't know there were rats in here.
It's the gray Chevy Caprice boys.
Why you guys tailin' us? Agents Jack Hammond, Tim Donovan.
Drug Enforcement Administration.
I think it's time we all had a sit-down, don't you? Why is the DEA following my detectives? To make sure they weren't working for the people we're investigating.
You sure now? If I weren't, you'd already be in federal lockup, Det.
Stabler.
Off.
Sandoval's prints were red-flagged in the system.
When you ran them, it tipped us off.
It didn't occur to you that we ran them because we were investigating her murder.
At the time, I didn't know she was dead.
Off.
Sandoval checked in every two weeks with Agent Donovan to minimize exposure.
A week ago she was alive and did not indicate any problems.
She got burned? We have two other operatives inside.
They say her cover was intact.
We're not sure why she was killed.
They cut her tongue out.
That seems like a message.
(Hammond) We can't comment on that.
Well, then, maybe you can comment on what Livia Sandoval was doing for the DEA.
She was part of an Intel case that intersected with our own investigation.
NYPD loaned her to us.
What case? (Hammond) We can't say.
Well, let's see.
A Colombian undercover with a key of cocaine on her fur coat working for the DEA.
I wonder who she could possibly have been investigating.
Let's cut the crap.
An NYPD officer was raped and murdered on your watch.
If you think we'll let this slide, you're dreaming.
Hey, nobody wants this guy to skate.
But this is two years of work, hundreds of thousands of dollars invested.
Our operatives were introduced into the organization by Livia.
If word gets out she was a cop, they're dead.
If we do nothing on a case that's been in the papers, it's just as conspicuous.
Okay, we can play ball here.
We investigate the murder of Livia Tellez, a hooker who was dating a drug dealer.
Nobody has to hear about the DEA or the undercover job.
Nothing written regarding DEA involvement or Livia's true identity.
It'd be subject to subpoena by the defense.
And not a word to your ADA.
Fine.
You want to give us a place to start? (Hammond) No, we don't.
You wanted this case, Captain.
You got it.
[Door opening.]
Good luck.
From now on, this room is command central.
Everything pertinent to this case stays in here.
The fewer people who know the particulars, the better.
We got reasons to be paranoid.
Colombian drug organizations got a lot of people on the payroll.
What do we know about the victim's true identity? Livia Sandoval entered this country in 1993 from Medellin, Colombia, at the age of 13.
At 18, she became a citizen.
She attended Hudson University, two years, and then in 2000 she took the police exam, nailed it.
We think Intel snapped her out of the applicant pool to the Police Academy.
We can assume at some point she made friends with a member of a Colombian organization.
We have any idea who she was looking at? (Fin) Could be anyone, anywhere.
In Narcotics, we found Colombian stash houses in Yonkers, Queens, Jersey, Manhattan.
(Cragen) You got an old pal in Narcotics you can trust? I got one guy I came up through the ranks with.
He's as straight as they come.
You got to be kidding me with this Deep Throat crap.
You got any better ideas? Yeah.
Stay the hell away from this case.
These are bad guys.
It can't be helped.
They dropped a rape victim in my lap.
What'd you find? Two-year DEA investigation, dead girl living in Jackson Heights from Medellin.
Sounds like they're looking to extradite.
Who? Cesar Velez.
I remember that name.
He whacked a judge and a CIA informant in Bogota a couple of years back.
He's a major player.
He supplies 10 percent of the coke coming into the US.
Who handles his business on this side? He has some cousins running the wholesale side in Queens, cutting and distributing to the Dominican dealers.
We popped a few on small possession beef, but we can't get a handle on the big stuff.
Collar anybody that'll cooperate? You looking to steal a snitch from me? I just want to talk to him.
Your name never comes up.
Dominican dealer, Felix Santos.
He sells up in Washington Heights by the bus terminal.
He's a punk, but if you bust him for possession, he'll talk.
You know I owe you.
You be careful, man.
These guys blow up commercial airliners just to kill one person.
There's no rules.
(Munch) There you go, Felix.
Papa, that's regular.
I said diet.
You're gonna want this sugar, so drink it.
Okay.
You people want to treat me like that, that's fine.
I just make my phone call to some very influential peoples, they tell you what my rate is.
Rate for what? My assistance.
And let me tell you, the price is going up by the second.
Say we don't pop you for possession with intent to distribute.
Whatever.
You know her? Yeah.
That Livia.
[Speaks Spanish.]
Why you call her a cream puff? Rafael made it up.
Yeah, well she's dead.
Who's Rafael? Rafael Zapata.
Lieutenant for Cesar Velez.
(Fin) How did Rafael and Livia know each other? She was banging him.
I mean, one of the girls banging him.
Look, I only met her a couple of times.
She was high on everything.
And when she got high, she got mouthy.
Rafael doesn't like that.
Define "mouthy.
" I saw them a couple of weeks ago.
She's going on about how Rafael couldn't get it up in the bedroom.
Come on, what kind of stupid girl gonna say that about a man, in front of his friends? And what would a man like Rafael do in this situation? That time? Smacked her up good.
(Stabler) Rafael Zapata Gaviria.
Cesar Velez's organization.
Zapata's a Colombian national in this country on a legitimate work visa.
Purchased for $10,000 in Bogota, most likely.
Zapata was arrested twice in Queens for murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Never indicted.
Somebody always conveniently came forward and confessed to the crimes.
Yeah, somebody with family back in Colombia.
Velez holds them as collateral.
He could slaughter them at will.
It's a big incentive to do what you're told.
I ran Zapata's financials.
He's quite the businessman.
He owns several cellular phone and pager stores, real estate both here and in Miami, and recently spent $1.
5 million on oil drilling equipment.
Money laundering.
You pay 30 times more than it's worth, it looks like a legitimate transaction.
The feds have got to have this stuff already, so what we need to do is corroborate Santos' statement and tie Zapata to Livia.
Well, we've got his credit card charges on the day of Livia's murder.
He flew back from Miami on the same flight that she did.
Spent $4,000 shopping, going to dinner, and seeing a show.
That's a lot of cash to spend in one day.
If she was with him, somebody's got to remember.
(manager) Two for lunch? Like to speak with the manager.
That's me.
What about? A customer of yours.
He was here the other night.
Rafael Zapata? I'm sorry, I don't know that person.
We'll keep your name out of this.
Now, was he here with this woman? No, he wasn't.
Look, we can charge you with obstruction, but we don't want to.
Then charge me.
I have a wife and three children.
I can't help you.
[Cell phone ringing.]
Either Zapata paid him real well or scared the piss out of him.
Or both.
Benson.
Agent Donovan, I didn't expect to hear from you.
What's he want? A meeting, now.
Where? Apparently on the roof across the street.
You talked to my informant.
Yeah.
We're investigating our rape case, as instructed.
Who gave him to you? Oh, now we're supposed to share information with you because you've been forthcoming with us? Screw you.
He's working with DEA.
You guys are putting everything in jeopardy.
Well, he must be moonlighting with NYPD Narcotics, 'cause that's how we found him.
You're off him.
Oh, yeah? Yeah.
Nobody from your squad contacts Santos again.
Felix has been apprised of the situation.
We warned you to use caution.
And we have.
Santos doesn't know that Livia was a cop.
Nobody said a word about DEA.
Keep it that way.
We're done.
Hey, did you tell Livia to do coke and screw Zapata to make your case or was that her idea? You don't know anything about her.
I know you were supposed to protect her, and you let her die! And I know you feel so guilty that you'd rather let her killer get away with it than think about what you didn't do to help her.
I didn't tell her to do drugs.
I didn't tell her to do any of that.
She wanted to nail those guys, she did what she thought she had to do.
You didn't see how bad it was getting? (Donovan) She was getting the job done.
I didn't think she was in over her head.
I should have pulled her.
I didn't.
That's my responsibility.
My my mistake.
(Benson) Hey! We have no intention of taking your case and we realize that other lives are at stake, but we're flying blind here.
If you don't tell us something to implicate Zapata, then we are never gonna make this right.
Your ME found bits of fiberglass on her body.
Then I know where he killed her.
(Benson) Zapata's love boat.
He keeps it in Battery Park.
He must be compensating for something to need a yacht that big.
What's the connection? The ME found slivers of fiberglass in the victim's leg.
The hull of that yacht is made of the same material.
We just found out that Zapata owned it.
We didn't know, because his assets are held under shell companies.
How'd you find out? Confidential informant.
Now, is that enough for a warrant? As long as the informant's reliable.
Beyond reproach.
Has he provided accurate information for you in the past? No, but the nature of his job puts him in a position to receive sensitive information.
Alex, we believe him.
Well, that's very comforting.
Tell me something that will actually help me get the warrant.
Alex, you've got to trust us.
(policeman #1) Police! Put your hands up where I can see them! Hands, now! Rafael Zapata Gaviria.
[Music stops.]
Zapata! I'm Rafael Zapata.
You may put your weapons away.
We are all peaceful here.
Zapata, we have a warrant to search this vessel.
Everybody out now.
Line them up on the docks.
That means you.
Let's go.
Out.
May I ask what's this regarding? I have nothing to hide.
You sure about that? Law enforcement is always searching my private property.
They never find anything.
This time, you don't know what we're looking for.
Smell that? Bleach.
Yep.
Flip it.
Okay.
It's damp here.
The bleach worked on the surface.
It just didn't go deep enough.
(Stabler) Hey, Rafael Zapata, you're under arrest for the murder of Livia Tellez.
Get up.
Put you hands behind your back.
You're under arrest.
You're making a very big mistake, Detective.
You don't even know how many mistakes you've made.
Let's go.
Docket ending 644, People v.
Rafael Zapata Gaviria.
One count each, murder in the second degree, rape in the first degree.
Lionel Granger for the defense, Your Honor.
(Petrovsky) How does the defendant plead? Not guilty.
Ms.
Cabot? The defendant is a Colombian national with known ties to major drug organizations.
He has unlimited resources at his disposal and we consider him a flight risk.
We request remand, Your Honor.
My client has never been charged with anything related to drug trafficking.
And I consider the People's baseless accusations slanderous and bigoted.
Noted, Mr.
Granger.
But I'd really like to hear your thoughts on the matter of bail.
Mr.
Zapata is a respected business and family man.
He has no intention of fleeing this jurisdiction and is willing to turn over his passport for the pendency of the case.
The defendant has among his assets a Gulfstream jet, Your Honor, as well as personal airstrips in the Caribbean and South America.
Turning over his passport is a meaningless gesture.
He's blessed with wealth, so he must be guilty? He has a clean record, Your Honor.
And his passport won't be the only thing he turns over.
Bail is set at $5 million.
Next case.
[Gavel bangs.]
(clerk) Docket ending 872, People v.
Ruda Clerk.
Lionel.
Zapata still has you on retainer, I see.
That explains the $3,000 suit.
How'd you get the blood out? My wife bought me this suit.
Everybody deserves a defense, Alex.
I would believe your idealism if you weren't enjoying yourself so much.
I'm just a naturally happy person.
What is this? Motion to controvert the search warrant.
And I will enjoy this.
(Lionel) The warrant to search my client's property was executed based on information received from a confidential informant.
Which a common occurrence.
It was a warrant you signed yourself.
Based upon your detectives' affidavit that the informant met the test for reliability.
There's no reason to belabor this.
Produce the guy, show me he knows what he's talking about, I'll be satisfied.
Your honor, this defeats the purpose of the use of CI's.
People v.
Goggins: The identity of an informant may be kept confidential to protect the flow of information and the safety of the informant.
How do we even know this person exists? The fact that the information was accurate.
That doesn't prove the informant's legal veracity and you know that, Ms.
Cabot.
The forensic evidence supported the CI's statement.
A couple of pieces of fiberglass? Do you know how many things are made out of fiberglass? She could have been killed in a Corvette.
The fibers matched the hull of Mr.
Zapata's yacht.
I can show you 10 yachts in that marina made of the same material.
You can't show me the mattress soaked in the victim's blood.
That possession is unique to your client.
(Lionel) This person knew the location of a homicide.
That's it.
The so-called informant could have committed the murder himself.
Your Honor, I hope you can see this for what it is.
A scare tactic to intimidate an informant.
I'm ordering a Darden hearing.
Ms.
Cabot, you are to produce the informant, and I will interview him in camera.
And if I find that he meets the test for reliability, the evidence from the search stays.
Your informant would only have to talk to the judge in chambers.
No one else would be present.
No good, Alex.
It's going to have to be.
I put my neck on the line for you two people.
I would like it back.
He could lose his job.
Worst case, he could get killed.
Well, he should've thought about that before he talked to you.
Who is he? [Door opening.]
Alex Cabot with the DA's office.
Were you followed? I beg your pardon? Did anyone follow you from your office to the DEA? I don't believe so, but I can't be sure.
Now you're going to tell me how you know about my job and how you know this is dangerous but, uh, you can protect me.
Is that about right? I freely admit I know very little about the dangers of your job.
That doesn't change the fact that you gave information as a confidential informant and now that information has to be verified.
You won't have to testify in open court.
The answer's no.
Let me tell you a little bit about my job, Agent Donovan.
After I tell the judge that I cannot produce the informant, she is going to issue a John Doe material witness order.
If I don't give her your name, I will be found in contempt.
That's your call, your conscience.
I can tell you right now, I'm not going to jail for you or for my conscience.
Then drop the case.
I can't.
You do what you got to do, Ms.
Cabot.
But when things go down, the blood's gonna be on your hands.
There has to be a way to work this out so that everyone is protected.
You really don't know anything about this, do you? Your SVU detectives got you in a real mess, Alexandra.
They were trying to cooperate with a federal investigation.
They didn't have much of a choice.
I'm not asking you to defend them.
I'm just trying to figure out how you'll get out of it.
There's nothing to get out of.
Petrovsky will subpoena the DEA agent, the warrant will stand, and Zapata will go away for 25 to life.
That easy, huh? Everyone understands the sensitive nature of the DEA investigation.
Petrovsky has no reason to jeopardize that.
All efforts will be made to maintain the witness's confidentiality.
So you're operating under the theory that if we don't see the immediate threat, then it must not be real.
I know it's real.
An NYPD officer is dead because of it.
Yes, that's true.
And how many people would you guess know that information now? I'm not sure.
A dozen.
Maybe more.
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Now, you know as well as I do that "confidential" is a relative term directly proportionate to how interesting said confidential information is.
And this is too interesting, Alexandra.
Cut Zapata a deal.
(Alex) Manslaughter, 8 to 10.
Pass.
Maybe you should ask your client what he thinks.
I also pass.
What are you even bargaining with, Alex? You don't have a case.
You certainly don't have your alleged informant.
I will have the informant, once the judge issues her subpoena.
You're assuming that the informant will comply with the judge's request.
And why wouldn't he, Mr.
Zapata? Who can say why people do what they do? It's a mystery.
You don't know who the informant is, so how can you possibly know what he might do? So you say.
Tell you what, you get your informant lined up, I promise we'll take the deal.
(Alex) Take it now or it's gone.
And for future reference, if your client intimidates the informant in any way, I will have his bail revoked and his ass thrown in Rikers for the duration of the trial.
You can't threaten me, bitch.
I just did.
We're going.
You allow this? A woman says these things and you do nothing? Yes, Mr.
Zapata.
You will also find that a woman can say whatever she wants to about your performance in the bedroom, and you aren't actually allowed to kill her.
Let's not do anything stupid.
[Door opening.]
(Granger) Everything's fine.
Everything's fine.
Okay.
That was fun.
Let's go, Rafael.
[Door closes.]
(Stabler) You're crazy.
I was hoping he'd think about that information coming out in court.
And he pissed you off.
That, too.
What does Branch think, since the deal's shut down? We move forward with the trial.
We warn the DEA's office, and they have a chance to pull their undercovers if it's necessary.
You're going to blow a two-year investigation.
This is the best option of only bad options.
We either prosecute Zapata ourselves or drop it, give him his passport, he leaves the country, and the DEA's case is blown.
The fact of the matter is that Zapata blew the DEA's investigation wide open when he raped and murdered Livia.
There you go.
Okay.
Bye.
I got called to an ex parte meeting in Petrovsky's chambers.
What do you think that's about? Nothing good.
Excuse me.
ADA Cabot, I'm George Reilly with the DOJ.
This is Daniel Clark and Brian Sullivan with the US Attorney's Office.
You might be wondering what this is about.
Can I guess? The federal government is about to steamroll New York.
This is a protective order issued by a federal judge in the Southern District of New York State barring Petrovsky from subpoenaing a federal law enforcement agent on the grounds it would jeopardize an ongoing investigation.
There's nothing we can do about this? Not unless you have other evidence to support probable cause, your search is out.
Your Honor I don't like it either, Ms.
Cabot.
And Mr.
Reilly, I don't ever want this many lawyers in my chambers again.
So next time, leave the dog and pony show at home.
Understood, Your Honor.
They can just go over the judge's head, and that's it? I'll appeal it to the Second Circuit.
Now we're getting into a violation of state's rights.
Ms.
Cabot I thought you didn't want to show your face around here.
We have received a credible threat.
It didn't come from us.
We have kept your identity confidential.
The threat was made against you.
(man #1) Hey, how's my girlfriend? (man #2) Good.
Very good.
(Donovan) Second guy's an inmate incarcerated at a federal penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
One of Cesar Velez's guys.
This call was recorded six hours ago.
We haven't yet identified the other man.
I'm gonna pick her up.
Maybe this week.
All right.
She's living at 235 West, 78th.
Apartment "C" like Charlie.
Gets home around 8.
00.
That's my address.
Jogs at 6.
00.
Son of a bitch.
You could go jogging with her.
Central Park.
I was thinking I could visit her mother.
That's an idea.
Mom lives upstate, East Amherst.
Oh, my God.
But you should really try to see your girlfriend.
It's important.
How do they know this? Cesar Velez has a network in the federal prisons.
We're trying to ascertain where the information's coming from.
Have you noticed anyone following you? Any problems with your telephone service at the office or your home? No, not that I can remember.
Okay, so as of now, we get a protective detail.
You step foot outside, you have an armed escort.
We'll have to rig a security system at the office and the apartment.
Federal marshal's lined up to escort you.
Should be here within the hour.
No, I want to go home now.
Okay, we'll take you.
Ms.
Cabot.
We're gonna find the guy.
And we'll tie him to Zapata.
He'll go away for life.
Okay.
And if we can't, I'll go to your judge.
I'll testify in open court.
So I don't want you to worry.
This is handled.
Got it? Got it.
Good night.
Alex.
Why don't you stay with me tonight until we figure this whole thing out? No, it'll be okay.
But thanks.
Okay, let's do a drive-by first to make sure nothing looks off.
[Car alarm beeping.]
[People chattering.]
[Siren wails.]
[Police radio chattering.]
(Benson) Hey.
Come on, let's go.
Alex, you couldn't have done anything differently.
Donovan made a choice.
We all did.
How? L I don't know.
You don't know? He had two kids.
Did you know that? Knock it off.
You were careless.
You didn't listen.
Do you get it now? Is it sinking in? Enough.
Enough.
You've got to get yourself off this case.
End of story.
(Hammond) Oh, you don't have a case.
It blew up with Tim Donovan.
Initial report from the bomb squad.
Turned up evidence of C4 and part of the detonator in the debris field.
The trigger was rigged to the ignition.
The explosive was placed under the driver's seat.
Every bomb-maker has a signature.
FBI lab is running the individual components through their database looking for a match.
It doesn't matter.
We know who did it.
It's Cesar Velez fixing things for Zapata.
The more important question is, how did Velez know Donovan was the CI? Same way he knows where you and your mother live.
He's got the money and the power.
He's not gonna stop until you back off or you're dead.
I have a protective detail, my mom has a protective detail.
I'm not backing off.
Alex, there's no reason for you to die for this case.
Men like Zapata and Velez live on other people's fear.
It doesn't matter if I try this case or somebody else in my office does.
The intimidation is always there.
So I can either accept it as a part of my job or concede everything.
But I don't want to put any of that on you.
The DA's office has investigators.
Who are a bunch of punks.
I'm in.
So am I.
Okay.
Let's start by dragging in every single guest from Zapata's little boat party.
Somebody knows about Livia's murder.
Alex, can I see you in my office? [Door closes.]
I figured you were too gung ho to let this die.
Don, I appreciate the concern.
My old service revolver.
It's a straight shot.
Won't jam up.
I had the license division expedite a carry permit for you.
Without my signature? [Phone ringing.]
Your prints are on file.
Cragen.
Yeah, she's here.
I'll let her know.
Boss is looking for you.
[Knocking on door.]
(Branch) Come on in.
Your ears still ringin'? Yeah, a little.
That'll pass.
You know, I had a buddy who did three years in Bogota at the embassy.
There was a time when one police officer got murdered every single day.
Over a two-month period, Pablo Escobar set off nine car bombs.
Well, it's a good thing we live in the United States.
Yes, it is.
There are plenty of judges and prosecutors and former law enforcement in this country walking around every day, the rest of their lives, with body guards, because they stood up against a Colombian cartel that will do anything to protect this business.
That's all the more reason to continue to fight them.
We've been fighting them since before you were born, Alexandra.
Now, we're going to drop the Zapata case.
Why? How bad does this have to get? How many more people have to die? From what I hear the feds have a much better case against him than we would ever have now.
And to answer your question, too many people have died already.
(Alex) At this time, the People are unable to proceed and are asking that the indictment against Rafael Zapata Gaviria be dismissed with leave to represent.
The charges are dismissed, Mr.
Zapata.
Court is adjourned.
US Marshals, Mr.
Zapata.
You are under arrest for the murder of a federal agent.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to speak to an attorney and to have an attorney present during any questioning.
If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.
The FBI connected the car bomb to Zapata.
He's gonna flip on Cesar Velez.
If the DEA can get an indictment, the Colombians will arrest Velez and start the extradition process.
What does Zapata get for his troubles? A reduced sentence and a new identity in Scottsdale, Arizona probably.
If he lives that long.
On that note, I'll say good night.
You have to give me a ride early tomorrow.
You need some sleep.
You need to hire a driver.
Good night.
Night.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Bye.
(Stabler) Look, we had a good run.
Conviction rate's are up.
We had to get screwed sometime.
Cesar Velez can probably do more damage to Zapata now than the justice system ever could.
It just It never seems like enough, you know.
The feds will get Zapata for killing Donovan.
But what about Livia Sandoval? She dies without any justice and we're supposed to be happy about it? We tell ourselves that we speak for the victims, but we don't.
We can close cases.
But the victims, even if they survive, their lives are ruined.
I just get so sick of it.
Alex, we can't always win.
But that's just it.
Even when we win, we don't.
Come on.
Let's get out of here.
Get you a cab? No, I'm not far.
I'll walk.
Thanks, though.
Look, I'm sorry I'm such a buzz kill.
Oh, don't be silly.
It's late.
[Gun firing.]
Get down! (man) Go, go, go! Alex.
No.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
No, no, no.
Somebody call an ambulance! Call 911 now! Alex.
It's okay, Alex.
Alex, look at me.
It's okay, sweetie.
Stay with me.
Stay with me.
Stay with me, Alex.
They're coming right now.
You're gonna be okay.
Alex, you're gonna be okay.
Look at me.
You're gonna be just fine.
You're gonna be just fine.
Now, just stay with me.
[Panting.]
Alex, Alex, Alex, Alex.
It's okay.
Look at me.
[Phone ringing.]
We get a trial date on that Richmond case? It's postponed.
We're gonna lose that witness.
She was shaky to begin with.
Well, nothing we can do.
You got SVU cases being handled by ADAs from other bureaus.
They don't give a damn.
Well, isn't that nice? What? Rafael Zapata Gaviria was found dead in a holding cell awaiting a hearing.
No witnesses.
There goes the Velez's extradition.
I long for the days when the government would send in the Delta Force assassination squad.
DEA Agent Hammond wants to see you guys tonight.
There's the address.
(Stabler) What for? (Cragen) Something about closin' out the case.
[Crickets chirping.]
Nice location.
Convenient.
Sorry.
Only way to do this.
Do what? Wouldn't take no for an answer.
Real pain in the ass, this one.
I am so sorry about all of this.
Your funeral's tomorrow.
And you're both expected to attend.
For the time being, Ms.
Cabot's better off dead.
If Velez can get to Zapata, he can get to her.
Witness protection.
Until Velez is extradited or otherwise dealt with.
How long? (federal marshal) We're on the move.
Sorry, folks.
Move them out.
[Car doors closing.]