Law & Order Special Victims Unit s10e15 Episode Script
Lead
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.
People of the State of New York v.
Gilbert Keppler.
On count one of the indictment, aggravated sexual abuse in the fourth degree, how does the jury find the defendant? Guilty.
On count two, aggravated sexual abuse in the fourth degree, how do you find the defendant? Guilty.
On count three, aggravated sexual abuse in the fourth degree, how do you find the defendant? Guilty.
And on the fourth and final count, aggravated sexual abuse in the fourth degree, how do you find the defendant? Guilty.
Members of the jury, you are hereby excused.
Dr.
Keppler? Do you have anything you want to say to the court? I never meant these young men any harm.
Your Honor, motion to continue the defendant's bail until sentencing? The defendant has a nine million dollar family fortune he can use to skip town.
As the court knows, Dr.
Keppler has guaranteed his half million dollar bond with his own money.
Then we'll split the baby.
Bail is continued, but the defendant will wear an electronic monitoring device and be confined to his home until sentencing.
We're adjourned.
While we're gratified by today's ruling, we're disappointed the law limits Dr.
Keppler's sentence to only 16 years in prison.
He not only violated his oath as a pediatrician, but he shattered the lives of four boys and their families.
Excuse me.
Let me through.
You have something to say, Mr.
Granger? No, I have something for Captain Cragen and his detectives.
Consider yourselves served.
Keppler's suing us? On what grounds? The NYPD and Denslow Medical Center knew my client was sexually abusing his victims long before they took action to stop him.
See you in court.
Captain Cragen, why did your detectives wait to arrest Dr.
Keppler? No comment.
Come on, man.
Detective Benson, isn't it your job to keep known molesters off the street? Any statement, Detective Stabler? Yeah, get the hell out of our way.
Why did you let that doctor continue to molest those boys? No more questions.
What the hell did you people do? The balls on that pervert suing us.
And his lawyer has got a matching pair, waltzing into our press conference.
Lionel Granger is a sore loser.
But could he be right? Did we take too long to bring Keppler in? We played this one straight by the book.
Granger's blaming us to set up Dr.
Keppler for a lighter sentence at appeal.
The department will indemnify us.
I'll be the judge of that.
Civil suits aren't IAB's jurisdiction, Tucker.
Unless you people screwed up.
We nailed Keppler and got a conviction.
Then why did the Commissioner send me to clean up the steaming pile of crap you left on his doorstep? I guess you're his go-to guy.
Did he give you a baggie or do you like the stench on your hands? The only thing that reeks around here is how you handled this case.
According to a convicted child molester and his media-whore lawyer.
Why is 1 PP taking their word over ours? Because Keppler's last victim is on you.
How do the pencil pushers down at the Porcelain Palace figure that one? A 14- year-old kid walked in here and told you his doctor abused him.
You gave Keppler more time to diddle another victim because you waited three weeks to collar him.
Boy, you have been chasing cops so long you forgot how to be one.
We needed that time in order to do a thorough investigation.
You were dragging ass.
Why didn't you pick up Keppler right away? Because he never raped any of his victims so we had no DNA.
We didn't want him lawyering up before we had enough evidence to charge him.
What more evidence do you need? This kid, Justin McTeague, he gave you Keppler on a silver platter.
All we had was Justin's word against the doctor and we already had history with Justin.
He came in here last year telling us that a teacher was abusing him.
My math teacher.
He touched me.
Where did he touch you, Justin? You know.
My junk.
Can you tell us how it happened? He made me come to remedial after school.
We're alone.
He's sitting next to me watching me work.
Tells me how good I'm doing, patting me on the shoulder.
All of a sudden, his hands are between my legs.
What did you do? Pulled away.
Called him a pervert.
He said if I told anyone, he'd fail me for the year.
Justin gave us his teacher's name.
Kevin Sammers.
And we immediately brought Sammers in for questioning.
Talk to my colleagues.
My principal.
Any student I ever taught.
We talked to them.
And you know what, Kevin? None of them stood up for you.
Actually, a couple even said you're kind of pervy.
You're lying.
I swear on my life I never laid a hand on any child.
Okay.
So where's your alibi? How can I give you one if you won't tell me who says I did this? Why didn't you tell him? You forget Interrogation Hold back the details and let the suspect blurt them out? Then you've got him.
How long did you interrogate Sammers? He ever cop to the abuse? Nope.
But when we finally told him the name of his accuser, he proved that what Justin told us couldn't have happened.
What is this? That's Mr.
Sammers getting cash at exactly the time that you say he abused you.
The exact same day that he busted you for smoking weed outside at lunchtime.
He's lying.
No, Justin.
You are.
So nobody would believe Mr.
Sammers when he reported you.
I was scared.
I would have been expelled, and my parents would have killed me.
Do you have any idea of the damage that you've caused this man? What about the teacher? Sammers quit teaching.
He couldn't take the whispering or the looks when he walked down the hall.
His career was destroyed because Justin McTeague cried wolf.
But when he accused Keppler of the same crime, you don't believe him.
You let another kid be victimized.
We arrest Keppler based solely on Justin's say-so, the defense nukes Justin's credibility because he lied before.
And I was not about to let a jury acquit Keppler so that he could molest more boys.
So you told Benson and Stabler to hit the brakes.
No.
I told Benson and Stabler to find another victim.
Because one boy is never enough for a guy like Keppler.
It took three weeks, but that's when we found Bradley Hicks.
Can you tell us what Dr.
Keppler did to you, Bradley? He stuck his finger in me.
Then he rubbed between my legs until I You know.
Did he tell you why he did that? He said it was a part of my treatment.
Give us a minute.
Same story Justin told us, almost word for word.
That's enough for me.
Pick him up.
Get out of here.
I'm with a patient.
Police.
What are you doing to him? It's a procedure to relieve the pain from his urinary tract infection.
And what procedure is that? Urethral milking.
Step away from the table.
Excuse me? Put your hands behind your back.
You're under arrest for sexual abuse.
You okay? Yeah.
Sure.
What's your name? Chuck Paisley.
Who did he abuse? That kid, Chuck, thought what Keppler did to him was legit? So did the fourth victim, Dale Overton.
He only came forward when he saw Keppler in cuffs on TV.
Turns out he'd treated Dale the same day.
We found his DNA on Keppler's glove in the same bag of garbage.
Made his conviction a lock.
Which never would have happened if you had gone forward on Justin's word.
Oh, thank God.
You finally get it.
Tucker actually apologized.
But he wants us to keep IAB in the loop.
That's the problem with rodents.
Just when you think you got rid of them, they come back.
Which is why anything more on Keppler goes through me.
It's a good thing you're here, then, because while you three were entertaining the rat squad, Fin and I were actually working.
We pulled the papers on Keppler's lawsuit against Denslow Hospital.
Read them and weep, Captain.
Keppler claims Denslow knew he was molesting boys a year before we did.
A year? How the hell can a hospital not report that? That sounds like BS to me.
I mean, there's no way a big HMO like Denslow is gonna risk the state yanking their license.
Or being charged as an accessory for allowing the abuse to continue.
Talk to the hospital.
See what Keppler and his shyster lawyer are up to.
I can't talk about Dr.
Keppler.
You're the hospital's attorney, Mr.
Coldwell.
We're the good guys.
Still, it's company policy not to discuss pending litigation.
If I do, then Dr.
Keppler's attorneys can find out, and they can subpoena your notes.
This is not a frivolous lawsuit.
Keppler claims you let him sexually abuse those four boys.
Like that other hospital in California with another doctor years ago? Look.
I can assure you.
That did not happen here.
We have nothing to hide.
Really? Because it sounds like you're protecting your assets, not your patients.
Like I said before, we're not having this conversation.
Thank you, detectives.
How do you know when a lawyer's lying? When his lips are moving? He knows there was a cover-up.
We've got to find someone who will come clean.
Let's ask Keppler.
We can't go anywhere near him without his lawyer present.
Sure we can.
If the hospital committed a crime, he's a material witness.
Keppler's going to tell us to piss off.
Well, he's got a couple of million reasons not to.
So now, we're going to make this perv even richer? Look down.
Blood.
And the door's open.
So much for the lawsuit.
Splatter marks everywhere.
It's almost dry.
Killer's long gone.
Manhattan SVU to Central.
We have a homicide at 632 East 67.
I need additional units, CSU and the M.
E.
Who are you calling? Cragen.
going to be all over this.
Hey, Benson.
What's the holdup? I've got to set up the scan station.
Just hang tight until we give the okay.
All right.
Well, just get here as fast as you can.
Where's Warner? Crane collapse in the Bronx.
Six dead.
Says she's at least two hours out.
I heard Dr.
Keppler came down with a case of justice prevails.
More like someone saved the state a couple million bucks and a prison cell.
What are we waiting on? Cragen.
Says we don't touch the place until Greylek sees it, just in case IAB wants to screw with us again.
You sure Greylek's not on one of her "I've got to be at the crime scene" crusades? It's not Greylek.
Alex.
What have we got? Where's Greylek? New administration called her back to the Justice Department.
D.
A.
Let her leave immediately.
And McCoy drafted you to fill in.
I wasn't drafted.
Jack asked me.
No one told us about it.
I only accepted an hour ago.
We never thought we'd see you again.
I got your messages.
And I'd pick up the phone to call you, and remember That we were there when you were shot? We heard Velez died in prison and Connors was extradited to Ireland.
You've been out of Witness Protection for three years.
You guys want to get started? Let's go.
Big gun,.
45.
Yeah.
But that didn't kill him.
Big Betty did.
Nine slugs not enough? Nope.
Your perp was a lousy shot.
I'll show you.
We dug projectiles out of the walls, furniture, ceiling, floor.
He missed eight times.
He got lucky once.
Yeah, with the first shot.
Check out the scan station.
Hit Keppler in the right knee.
Enough to immobilize him.
But why only nine shots? He ran out of ammo.
He saw Keppler was still breathing.
He grabbed the club.
He finished off the Doc while working on his handicap.
That explains the spatter on the ceiling furthest away from the body.
But the streaks right above Keppler had to have been made with a shorter object.
Maybe the gun.
Well, it's too bad the perp couldn't have left that.
Yeah, all he left was this pair of gloves.
Explains the dozens of useless bloody smudges we found.
Probably wearing them because of the cold.
Sorry to spoil your fun, but the Captain's calling.
You know, this was a lot of overkill.
Somebody wanted Keppler to suffer.
Someone Keppler knew well enough to let in.
No forced entry.
So you think it was one of the four boys he molested? Or one of the family members who decided he deserved the death penalty.
Well, hopefully, CSU will find his DNA in there somewhere.
And we'll compare it to the boys' DNA we've got from Keppler's trial.
Not without their parents' permission.
It's evidence, Alex.
Those boys gave their DNA voluntarily.
As sexual assault victims.
Judge Moredock sealed it after the trial to protect the boys.
If I'm going to ask him to unseal it, he's going to want to know we have their full cooperation.
Our only option now is to go back and interview the families again.
Forgot what it felt like having you kicking our asses, Counselor.
Alex's foot will be the least of our problems if a pissed-off parent goes running to the press.
Be gentle.
After all we've been through, now you're accusing my son of murder? No, Mrs.
McTeague.
But we have to rule everybody out.
Can you tell me where you and Justin went yesterday after court? My sister's, on Staten Island, to toast the verdict.
And how long were you there? We stayed the night.
I toasted a few too many times to drive home.
Did any of the other boys or their parents seem angry enough to kill Dr.
Keppler? The whole lot of us are mad as hell.
But you're barking up the wrong tree.
We didn't want his life.
We wanted his money.
Because none of us are going to get a dime out of Denslow Hospital.
Why not? Because we all signed arbitration papers.
You agreed not to sue Denslow for malpractice? Some suit told us that if we didn't sign, Dr.
Keppler couldn't treat our kids anymore.
We trusted him.
He was a good doctor.
You weren't concerned about signing your rights away? Yeah.
And we weren't the only ones.
Who else? Lillian Siefeld.
Keppler's head nurse for years.
She told us not to sign, then she suddenly disappeared.
We were told she got promoted.
Lillian.
Sergeant John Munch, NYPD.
I'd like to talk to you about Dr.
Keppler.
Well, the jury found him guilty.
He's dead.
Why now? Because until today, we never heard about you.
Any idea why? They must have erased the records.
Listen, if they see me talking to you, I'm If who sees us talking, Lillian? You don't understand.
He said he would take away my job and my pension.
"He.
He.
" Now, is this the man who threatened you? Yes.
That's Coldwell.
I'm sorry.
I should have done more.
I You knew what Dr.
Keppler was doing? No.
Dr.
Keppler always had one of us chaperone when he was examining a female patient.
But on this day, it was very, very busy.
We had two nurses out, and I got all mixed up and I just walked into the wrong room.
And I saw Dr.
Keppler with Dale Overton.
He was one of the boys at the trial.
And I saw what he was doing.
He molested that boy and you did nothing to stop him.
But I did what I thought I was supposed to do.
I went to the woman at the human resources.
I reported it.
So she brought Coldwell in? Yes.
And he brought me right upstairs, and he said that the hospital takes this very seriously.
And I said, "You have to confront Keppler.
" Did he? No.
He said that Keppler would just deny everything.
That it was my word against his word.
And that if it was not true, he would just sue the hospital.
So Coldwell didn't believe you? No, he did believe me.
But he didn't think the jury would believe me.
Lillian? Why didn't you come to us? Well, I threatened to come to you, but Coldwell said if I went to the police, that he would make sure they took away my job and my health insurance.
And my husband is sick.
And I just did not know what to do.
Denslow Hospital didn't give a damn that Keppler was abusing those boys.
All they cared about was plugging potential leaks.
And Logan Coldwell was their plumber.
He knew Keppler was a pedophile and didn't call us.
We can collar him for obstruction.
No, we can't.
He was the hospital's attorney.
So, technically, Keppler was also his client.
A lawyer knows his client is going to commit a crime, he's got to tell somebody.
Well, that gives him the choice to break privilege.
Not an obligation.
So we can't touch Coldwell.
Not for that.
But we have him on one count of obstruction for buying Lillian's silence.
And that's just for starters.
I'll have the arrest warrant drawn up first thing tomorrow morning.
Where are we on Keppler's murder? Circling the bowl.
All four victims and relevant family members have airtight alibis.
Autopsy report in, yet? Yeah, it came in an hour ago.
Keppler died at approximately 1:00 a.
m.
And check this out.
Warner found traces of gold plating in his head wounds.
That didn't come from the golf club.
But CSU got skin cells off the gloves.
Warner got a whole bunch of hits.
Only one of them is not in jail.
Which one did it? None of them.
DNA belongs to a Clive Lynwood.
Lives on Fifth Avenue, with his registered handgun.
Hi.
Hi.
My name is Jeff.
Are you the police? Detectives Benson and Stabler.
Is Clive Lynwood home? My dad and mom went out.
I just got home from work.
Well, this is a warrant to search your apartment.
Wow.
Do you want me to help you? That'd be great.
Have you seen your dad's gun? Yeah.
It's really cool.
Do you know where he keeps it? Yeah.
Right in there, in a special box.
It's empty.
Uh-oh.
Does your dad carry the gun with him? No.
He's not allowed to.
What color is the gun, Jeff? Gold.
Dad says it's real.
What the hell's happening here? Dad, the police are here.
And where's my gun? You tell us.
Please put your hands behind your back.
Excuse me? What's going on? Clive Lynwood, you're under arrest for murder.
Murder? Are you crazy? Who'd I kill? What are you doing? Take your hands off of him! You have the right to remain silent.
No.
No.
Who did I kill? Come back.
Please don't take my dad to jail.
Please don't take my dad to jail.
Alex.
Appeals get so boring you came back for more sex-capades? I'm just a temp, Lorna.
Your client, on the other hand, is looking at life without parole.
You've been away for too long.
Lost your touch.
Mr.
Lynwood is innocent.
Then Mr.
Lynwood can explain why his.
45 is suddenly missing.
You think he's the only rich guy in town with a gold-plated handgun? No, I think he's the only guy in town whose DNA was on the gloves we found at the scene.
And the only reason his DNA is in the database is because he was convicted of a felony.
You must be talking about that bogus menacing charge? Tell them, Clive.
Well, I was on my way back from the Hamptons and a trooper pulls me over, asks me to take a dee-wee test, and I made a silly joke about him having a thing against people who drive Maseratis.
And he got all pissy.
Well, maybe he got pissy because of the 2.
2 you blew into the breathalyzer.
He sees my Swiss army knife sitting in the console between the two seats, and says because of my so-called weapon, he can up the DUl to a menacing charge and take my DNA.
Fascinating.
Now, explain how your DNA got into Gilbert Keppler's brownstone.
Here's the fun part.
We don't have to explain anything.
See you in court.
Miss Cabot, do you have an application? Yes.
Remand without bail.
Your Honor, the People have no valid evidence with which to proceed.
Seems valid to me, Ms.
Scarry.
According to the arresting officer's deposition, your client's DNA was found at the scene.
Thirteen genetic markers is the standard for DNA identification.
Mr.
Lynwood was ID'd with only five and a half.
That means that there's a one in a million chance that someone else murdered Gilbert Keppler.
If you compare those five markers to just one randomly selected person.
But compared to all 300,000 profiles in the State's DNA data bank, those chances drop to one in three.
Which means what, Ms.
Scarry? That of the dozen or so men in this room it is just as possible that he murdered Dr.
Keppler or him or that gentleman.
Who's actually from the FBI's own DNA advisory board and will back me up on this.
Your Honor, the courts have never ruled against law enforcement on this issue.
I'm sorry, Miss Cabot.
There's always a first time.
We have been burned by faulty DNA before.
I'm throwing it out.
There is no other evidence linking my client to this horrible crime.
Your Honor.
It's I'm dismissing the charges.
Mr.
Lynwood, you're free to go.
Thank you.
Ten minute recess.
I'm glad you're back, Alexandra.
Try to show up prepared next time.
Yes, Judge.
Alex.
This isn't your fault.
Yes, it is.
We have Clive Lynwood's DNA, and he's walking out of here.
I'll try to find something else linking him to Keppler.
I went over everything again.
No more DNA.
And the only thing I did find isn't going to be much help.
We'll take whatever you've got.
This spent.
45 shell casing is the same brand of ammo our shooter used.
I put my fingerprint on it.
I don't see it.
Now, here's a casing from the crime scene.
Looks like the fingerprint's etched into it.
It is.
Heat of the gunpowder igniting caused the oils in the print to corrode the metal.
So our perp wasn't wearing gloves when he loaded the gun.
Too bad the print's not in the system.
So why isn't your print etched in? Because I'm a vegetarian.
What does that mean? Vegetarians leave prints, too.
Yeah.
Fingerprints are chemical secretions.
We secrete what we eat.
My prints are less likely to corrode metal because my diet is low in sodium.
You're telling me our perp's prints are burned into that shell casing because he eats too much salt? Or works around it.
Like at a fast food restaurant.
Last night, when we collared Clive, his son was wearing a Happiburger uniform.
Explains why Clive came up in the system.
His son shares half his DNA.
Wow.
That was fun.
I never rode in a police car before.
Empty.
I have to throw it away.
Here.
I will.
There's a trash can outside.
Have a seat.
So, Jeff, what do you do at Happiburger? Clean up.
My boss says next year maybe I can be a grill man.
Do you know what we do here? You catch people who do bad things.
Am I in trouble? Am I going to jail? Are you going to take my fingerprints? Well, if you did something bad.
Did you do something bad? No.
No, I don't want my mom and dad to yell at me.
Like if you took your dad's gun? My dad's gun is not a toy.
I'm not supposed to touch it if he is not there.
Your dad ever let you touch it? Sure.
He let me put the bullets in.
And he took me to the range, so I could shoot it.
I shot the man on the paper.
I made two holes in him.
Where does your dad keep his bullets? I can't tell you.
It's a secret.
I'm pretty good with secrets.
You can tell me.
In his closet.
Under the socks.
Under the socks? Jeff, you know, you don't have to talk to us if you don't want to.
And if you do we can use what you say against you.
And if you want a lawyer, we have to get you one.
That's okay.
I like talking to you.
You're pretty.
Jeff, do you know a man named Dr.
Keppler? No.
Jeff, if you lie to us, we have to punish you.
And we don't want to do that.
You know Dr.
Keppler? I went to Dr.
Keppler when I was little.
But then I told Mom that I wanted to go to a different doctor.
How come? Because we learned in school that nobody is supposed to touch you down there.
Did Dr.
Keppler touch you down there? Yeah.
He rubbed me.
And he said it was okay because he was a doctor.
And then I saw him going to jail on TV.
And I was very angry with him because he told me a lie.
Did you go see Dr.
Keppler? I went to his house after work.
And I took Dad's gun, I pointed it at him, and I asked him why he lied to me.
Well, what did he say? He tried to hit me with the golf club.
But he hit the gun.
And a bullet went into his knee and he fell down.
And then he called me stupid.
That is a bad name that the bullies call me.
So I got angry again.
And I shot and shot and shot.
But none of the bullets hit him.
And he called me an idiot.
But there were no more bullets left.
So I hit him with Dad's gun again and again and again.
But then the gun got all red and slippery, so I hit him with the golf club.
And then he didn't call me names anymore.
Jeffrey, you know what you did to Dr.
Keppler was wrong.
Dad says if a bully hurts me, I've got to fight back and kill the bastard.
Are you at all concerned that he's slow? That's the defense's problem.
Not mine.
Arrest him.
Lionel Granger? What the hell are you doing here? Jeffrey's boss called and said that you'd picked Jeffrey up from work.
So I called Mr.
Granger.
Mr.
Granger represented your son's abuser, Mrs.
Lynwood.
He knows full well defending your son is a whopping conflict of interest.
Not when the abuser's dead and I have a waiver from his estate, Alex.
She hire you because you know Keppler's filthy little secrets? Who better to represent her son? Jeffrey.
Mommy, please don't be mad.
Sweetie, I'm not mad at you.
I'm not mad at you.
What did you tell them? The truth.
Just like you always say.
You should have called me.
Your son is 19, Mrs.
Lynwood.
The law doesn't require us to.
We're arresting him for second degree murder.
You can't do that.
Please.
He's an abuse victim.
Alex, talk to him yourself.
You'll see he's suffering from rape trauma syndrome.
If you believe that, then let our shrink interview him.
Fine.
Jeff, do you have any trouble sleeping? Get in trouble when I'm sleeping? That's silly.
Have you ever had any nightmares about Dr.
Keppler? Sometimes.
He looks like a monster.
He's very scary.
Can you read this? Uh-oh.
What is it? Are you a doctor? Yes, I am.
I Where's my mom? I want to go now.
Jeffrey? You can't leave this room.
Let me out.
No.
I'm not going to hurt you.
Get out of my way! You're a bad man! You're a bad man! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it.
Doctors are bad! Doctors are bad! Doctors are bad! Get off me! Get off me! I didn't black out.
My head doesn't hurt.
I don't feel nauseous or dizzy.
I don't need to go to the hospital.
Then you've got to sign you're refusing transport, Doc.
Chief of D is going to want my incident report on his desk first thing.
Then go fill it out.
I'm okay.
Are you sure? About me, yes.
But not about Jeffrey.
I think there's something really wrong with him.
Something like what? A developmental disability.
He acts like a child.
He can't process a simple sentence.
He has a job.
He can read.
He takes care of himself.
A lot of people like Jeff are high-functioning.
Most of them don't commit murder.
He almost killed you.
Because he can't control his temper or his emotions.
He's still mentally competent.
He made a plan.
He got Daddy's gun, he loaded it, and he shoved it in Keppler's face.
To make Keppler tell him the truth.
He shot him and he bashed his brains in.
Because Keppler was calling him names.
He's an eight-year-old in a man's body.
His IQ is probably right on the borderline.
Can you definitively say that I cannot try him because he's retarded? No.
Jeffrey, when Detectives Benson and Stabler brought you to the police station, were they nice to you? No.
They were mean.
How were they mean? They said if I lied, they were going to punish me.
And the man touched me.
Where did Detective Stabler touch you? On my shoulder.
I got scared.
Is that why you told the detectives you killed Dr.
Keppler? Yeah.
Nothing further.
Do you know a boy named Chad Smith? I don't want to talk about him.
Why not, Jeff? 'Cause he's a bully.
Did you beat him up? Somebody tell me how this is relevant.
Goes to the defendant's credibility, Your Honor.
I'll allow it.
Answer the question, young man.
Did you beat this boy up? Yeah.
In fact, you broke his nose and two of his ribs when he called you a moron.
Don't say that.
And when your principal asked you why you hit Chad, you said Chad hit you first.
Is that correct? Why are you being so mean? Because you lied, Jeffrey, so that you wouldn't get into trouble.
It's the same reason that you lied about the police forcing you to confess to killing Dr Stop yelling at me! I am not a liar! Your Honor.
We're in recess.
Counsel, in my chambers right now.
I want her brought before the disciplinary committee for badgering Jeffrey.
My clients are furious.
Clients? Jeffrey Lynwood is your client.
Not his parents.
I'm moving to disqualify Mr.
Granger as counsel.
She's posturing.
You're a sleazebag.
You're letting Jeffrey's father call the shots because he can pay you and Jeffrey can't.
I'm acting in my client's best interests.
Your client has as much business on a witness stand as I do riding in a rodeo.
Only a horse's ass would ignore his diminished mental capacity.
You're out of line, Your Honor.
And you are a disgrace to the defense bar, Mr.
Granger.
And if you don't get your act in line, I'll grant her motion and report you to the disciplinary committee.
Now get out! Not you, Alex.
You're not blameless in this.
The People don't have the burden to prove the defendant incompetent to stand trial.
No, you have a bigger burden.
To see that justice is done.
I am.
Jeffrey Lynwood killed a man.
Jeffrey Lynwood has the mind of a child.
He can't stand up for himself.
Violating his rights isn't justice.
Your Honor, with all due respect, we aren't in your Constitutional Law class anymore.
This is the real world.
I know you've seen more of the real world than anybody should have to.
It took guts to come back.
And I'm glad you did.
But you can't afford to forget why you became an A.
D.
A.
In the first place.
The Alexandra Cabot I remember wouldn't even consider railroading this poor young man.
You were right.
I was out for blood.
And I was about to call you.
I think I know what's really wrong with Jeffrey.
What difference does it make? Incompetent is incompetent.
The tragedy is it didn't have to be that way.
How can you be sure? We need to talk to his mother.
I can't talk to you.
Mrs.
Lynwood.
Please.
When Jeffrey was a baby, did he hit all his developmental milestones? Yeah.
He was fine until he was five.
And then what happened? He had a seizure.
And his brain swelled.
And we thought he was going to die.
When he finally recovered, he just He wasn't the same.
Dr.
Keppler said that it was a miracle that he survived.
Did he know what caused the seizure? He said it was epilepsy.
Dr.
Keppler missed Jeffrey's pica.
What is pica? It's a rare neurological disorder in which a person eats objects other than food.
Like when Jeffrey was chewing on the pencil in court.
That's why we couldn't make him stop putting things in his mouth.
What kinds of things? Whatever he could get his hands on.
Is there any chance you kept something? Yes.
His little toy cars.
My husband came home from work one night with dozens of them.
And two days later, Jeffrey had licked the paint off every one of them.
He said they tasted like sweet and sour candy.
Virginia? Did you let them in here? Yes.
They're here to help Jeffrey.
No, they're not.
They're here to slap a label on him.
We know what's wrong with your son.
So do I.
He's a little slow.
Wake up, Clive.
Jeffrey is developmentally delayed.
He is never going to be the perfect child you always wanted.
But he was perfectly fine when he was a baby.
He wasn't born this way.
And I can prove it.
After seeing Jeff eat the pencil in court yesterday, I ordered an MRI of his brain.
These red spots indicate areas of missing grey matter.
Missing? How? Chronic lead poisoning prevented Jeff's brain cells from growing.
Lead poisoning? Are you sure? Most kids get it from breathing dust from decaying lead paint.
But kids with pica are also at high risk.
Lead buildup in Jeff's body probably caused his seizure.
Studies link lead poisoning in kids to violent behavior when they become adults.
Are you saying this excuses what Jeffrey did? Jeff's anterior cingulate cortex, the emotion and decision-making center of the brain is badly damaged.
With the right provocation, that's like taking the muzzle off a rabid dog.
It explains why he reacted so violently when Dr.
Keppler called him names.
Keppler never tested Jeffrey for lead, before or after the seizure, did he? No.
He never even mentioned it.
So that bastard victimized my son twice.
Hi, Mom.
Hi, Dad.
Hey.
How are you doing, kiddo? I don't like it here.
The people aren't nice.
Why are you crying, Daddy? Because I didn't help you enough.
And I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
It's okay, Dad.
I did a bad thing.
So I guess this means we're not going back to trial.
Yes, we are.
Sir, could you please state your name, position and why you're here for the record? Michael Rowan.
President and Chief Executive Officer of Rowan Toys, Incorporated.
You asked me to appear as an expert witness on our products.
Defense stipulates to the witness' expertise, Your Honor.
The People's three and four, Your Honor.
Mr.
Rowan, what are these? Our mini ice cream truck.
Still a big seller.
Paint's missing on that one.
That's because Jeffrey Lynwood chewed it off.
Which the defense claims gave him lead poisoning.
That's impossible.
Lead-based paint has been banned from toys in this country since 1978.
We haven't used it since.
What about on the toys you make overseas? Of course not.
We spot-check our manufacturers' shipments, as does the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Then why did the NYPD's crime laboratory find that the paint on these toys contained over 50%% lead? You brought me here under false pretenses.
You lied to me.
You lied to the whole world.
These e-mails between you and your Chinese manufacturer prove that you knowingly poisoned children over decades.
I'm done answering your questions.
Defense in on your little setup, too? Sit down, sir.
You're out of order.
No, you're out of order, Judge.
You and your corrupt D.
A.
And your joke of a court.
And if you think you're going to get away with this That's enough.
Officers, remove this witness from the courtroom.
I can walk on my own.
We've got him.
We'll take it from here.
Put your hands behind your back.
Who the hell are you? Police.
You're under arrest for reckless endangerment.
I'll have your ass for this.
I already have yours.
And it's on the record.
Jeffrey Allen Lynwood.
Do you have anything to say before I deliver my verdict? I'm sorry, sir.
I didn't mean to hurt anyone.
Then on the sole count of murder in the second degree, I find you not guilty by reason of mental defect.
As per the plea agreement with the District Attorney you will surrender yourself to the Commissioner of Health for hospitalization.
Until it is determined that you are no longer a threat to yourself or others.
We're adjourned.
Bye, Mom.
Bye, Dad.
We'll be up to see you and visit soon.
Okay? How long will Jeff have to be in the hospital? The Judge has promised to review his progress in a month.
And he can come live with us after he's released? He doesn't have to.
Rowan Toys has agreed to support Jeff financially for the rest of his life.
The agreement is binding, and they can't back out.
Thank you.
Come on.
Voluntarily pledged? After the Feds recalled his toys, Rowan offered me the deal so I wouldn't charge him.
Once he signed, I told him to shove it.
You really are back, aren't you?
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.
People of the State of New York v.
Gilbert Keppler.
On count one of the indictment, aggravated sexual abuse in the fourth degree, how does the jury find the defendant? Guilty.
On count two, aggravated sexual abuse in the fourth degree, how do you find the defendant? Guilty.
On count three, aggravated sexual abuse in the fourth degree, how do you find the defendant? Guilty.
And on the fourth and final count, aggravated sexual abuse in the fourth degree, how do you find the defendant? Guilty.
Members of the jury, you are hereby excused.
Dr.
Keppler? Do you have anything you want to say to the court? I never meant these young men any harm.
Your Honor, motion to continue the defendant's bail until sentencing? The defendant has a nine million dollar family fortune he can use to skip town.
As the court knows, Dr.
Keppler has guaranteed his half million dollar bond with his own money.
Then we'll split the baby.
Bail is continued, but the defendant will wear an electronic monitoring device and be confined to his home until sentencing.
We're adjourned.
While we're gratified by today's ruling, we're disappointed the law limits Dr.
Keppler's sentence to only 16 years in prison.
He not only violated his oath as a pediatrician, but he shattered the lives of four boys and their families.
Excuse me.
Let me through.
You have something to say, Mr.
Granger? No, I have something for Captain Cragen and his detectives.
Consider yourselves served.
Keppler's suing us? On what grounds? The NYPD and Denslow Medical Center knew my client was sexually abusing his victims long before they took action to stop him.
See you in court.
Captain Cragen, why did your detectives wait to arrest Dr.
Keppler? No comment.
Come on, man.
Detective Benson, isn't it your job to keep known molesters off the street? Any statement, Detective Stabler? Yeah, get the hell out of our way.
Why did you let that doctor continue to molest those boys? No more questions.
What the hell did you people do? The balls on that pervert suing us.
And his lawyer has got a matching pair, waltzing into our press conference.
Lionel Granger is a sore loser.
But could he be right? Did we take too long to bring Keppler in? We played this one straight by the book.
Granger's blaming us to set up Dr.
Keppler for a lighter sentence at appeal.
The department will indemnify us.
I'll be the judge of that.
Civil suits aren't IAB's jurisdiction, Tucker.
Unless you people screwed up.
We nailed Keppler and got a conviction.
Then why did the Commissioner send me to clean up the steaming pile of crap you left on his doorstep? I guess you're his go-to guy.
Did he give you a baggie or do you like the stench on your hands? The only thing that reeks around here is how you handled this case.
According to a convicted child molester and his media-whore lawyer.
Why is 1 PP taking their word over ours? Because Keppler's last victim is on you.
How do the pencil pushers down at the Porcelain Palace figure that one? A 14- year-old kid walked in here and told you his doctor abused him.
You gave Keppler more time to diddle another victim because you waited three weeks to collar him.
Boy, you have been chasing cops so long you forgot how to be one.
We needed that time in order to do a thorough investigation.
You were dragging ass.
Why didn't you pick up Keppler right away? Because he never raped any of his victims so we had no DNA.
We didn't want him lawyering up before we had enough evidence to charge him.
What more evidence do you need? This kid, Justin McTeague, he gave you Keppler on a silver platter.
All we had was Justin's word against the doctor and we already had history with Justin.
He came in here last year telling us that a teacher was abusing him.
My math teacher.
He touched me.
Where did he touch you, Justin? You know.
My junk.
Can you tell us how it happened? He made me come to remedial after school.
We're alone.
He's sitting next to me watching me work.
Tells me how good I'm doing, patting me on the shoulder.
All of a sudden, his hands are between my legs.
What did you do? Pulled away.
Called him a pervert.
He said if I told anyone, he'd fail me for the year.
Justin gave us his teacher's name.
Kevin Sammers.
And we immediately brought Sammers in for questioning.
Talk to my colleagues.
My principal.
Any student I ever taught.
We talked to them.
And you know what, Kevin? None of them stood up for you.
Actually, a couple even said you're kind of pervy.
You're lying.
I swear on my life I never laid a hand on any child.
Okay.
So where's your alibi? How can I give you one if you won't tell me who says I did this? Why didn't you tell him? You forget Interrogation Hold back the details and let the suspect blurt them out? Then you've got him.
How long did you interrogate Sammers? He ever cop to the abuse? Nope.
But when we finally told him the name of his accuser, he proved that what Justin told us couldn't have happened.
What is this? That's Mr.
Sammers getting cash at exactly the time that you say he abused you.
The exact same day that he busted you for smoking weed outside at lunchtime.
He's lying.
No, Justin.
You are.
So nobody would believe Mr.
Sammers when he reported you.
I was scared.
I would have been expelled, and my parents would have killed me.
Do you have any idea of the damage that you've caused this man? What about the teacher? Sammers quit teaching.
He couldn't take the whispering or the looks when he walked down the hall.
His career was destroyed because Justin McTeague cried wolf.
But when he accused Keppler of the same crime, you don't believe him.
You let another kid be victimized.
We arrest Keppler based solely on Justin's say-so, the defense nukes Justin's credibility because he lied before.
And I was not about to let a jury acquit Keppler so that he could molest more boys.
So you told Benson and Stabler to hit the brakes.
No.
I told Benson and Stabler to find another victim.
Because one boy is never enough for a guy like Keppler.
It took three weeks, but that's when we found Bradley Hicks.
Can you tell us what Dr.
Keppler did to you, Bradley? He stuck his finger in me.
Then he rubbed between my legs until I You know.
Did he tell you why he did that? He said it was a part of my treatment.
Give us a minute.
Same story Justin told us, almost word for word.
That's enough for me.
Pick him up.
Get out of here.
I'm with a patient.
Police.
What are you doing to him? It's a procedure to relieve the pain from his urinary tract infection.
And what procedure is that? Urethral milking.
Step away from the table.
Excuse me? Put your hands behind your back.
You're under arrest for sexual abuse.
You okay? Yeah.
Sure.
What's your name? Chuck Paisley.
Who did he abuse? That kid, Chuck, thought what Keppler did to him was legit? So did the fourth victim, Dale Overton.
He only came forward when he saw Keppler in cuffs on TV.
Turns out he'd treated Dale the same day.
We found his DNA on Keppler's glove in the same bag of garbage.
Made his conviction a lock.
Which never would have happened if you had gone forward on Justin's word.
Oh, thank God.
You finally get it.
Tucker actually apologized.
But he wants us to keep IAB in the loop.
That's the problem with rodents.
Just when you think you got rid of them, they come back.
Which is why anything more on Keppler goes through me.
It's a good thing you're here, then, because while you three were entertaining the rat squad, Fin and I were actually working.
We pulled the papers on Keppler's lawsuit against Denslow Hospital.
Read them and weep, Captain.
Keppler claims Denslow knew he was molesting boys a year before we did.
A year? How the hell can a hospital not report that? That sounds like BS to me.
I mean, there's no way a big HMO like Denslow is gonna risk the state yanking their license.
Or being charged as an accessory for allowing the abuse to continue.
Talk to the hospital.
See what Keppler and his shyster lawyer are up to.
I can't talk about Dr.
Keppler.
You're the hospital's attorney, Mr.
Coldwell.
We're the good guys.
Still, it's company policy not to discuss pending litigation.
If I do, then Dr.
Keppler's attorneys can find out, and they can subpoena your notes.
This is not a frivolous lawsuit.
Keppler claims you let him sexually abuse those four boys.
Like that other hospital in California with another doctor years ago? Look.
I can assure you.
That did not happen here.
We have nothing to hide.
Really? Because it sounds like you're protecting your assets, not your patients.
Like I said before, we're not having this conversation.
Thank you, detectives.
How do you know when a lawyer's lying? When his lips are moving? He knows there was a cover-up.
We've got to find someone who will come clean.
Let's ask Keppler.
We can't go anywhere near him without his lawyer present.
Sure we can.
If the hospital committed a crime, he's a material witness.
Keppler's going to tell us to piss off.
Well, he's got a couple of million reasons not to.
So now, we're going to make this perv even richer? Look down.
Blood.
And the door's open.
So much for the lawsuit.
Splatter marks everywhere.
It's almost dry.
Killer's long gone.
Manhattan SVU to Central.
We have a homicide at 632 East 67.
I need additional units, CSU and the M.
E.
Who are you calling? Cragen.
going to be all over this.
Hey, Benson.
What's the holdup? I've got to set up the scan station.
Just hang tight until we give the okay.
All right.
Well, just get here as fast as you can.
Where's Warner? Crane collapse in the Bronx.
Six dead.
Says she's at least two hours out.
I heard Dr.
Keppler came down with a case of justice prevails.
More like someone saved the state a couple million bucks and a prison cell.
What are we waiting on? Cragen.
Says we don't touch the place until Greylek sees it, just in case IAB wants to screw with us again.
You sure Greylek's not on one of her "I've got to be at the crime scene" crusades? It's not Greylek.
Alex.
What have we got? Where's Greylek? New administration called her back to the Justice Department.
D.
A.
Let her leave immediately.
And McCoy drafted you to fill in.
I wasn't drafted.
Jack asked me.
No one told us about it.
I only accepted an hour ago.
We never thought we'd see you again.
I got your messages.
And I'd pick up the phone to call you, and remember That we were there when you were shot? We heard Velez died in prison and Connors was extradited to Ireland.
You've been out of Witness Protection for three years.
You guys want to get started? Let's go.
Big gun,.
45.
Yeah.
But that didn't kill him.
Big Betty did.
Nine slugs not enough? Nope.
Your perp was a lousy shot.
I'll show you.
We dug projectiles out of the walls, furniture, ceiling, floor.
He missed eight times.
He got lucky once.
Yeah, with the first shot.
Check out the scan station.
Hit Keppler in the right knee.
Enough to immobilize him.
But why only nine shots? He ran out of ammo.
He saw Keppler was still breathing.
He grabbed the club.
He finished off the Doc while working on his handicap.
That explains the spatter on the ceiling furthest away from the body.
But the streaks right above Keppler had to have been made with a shorter object.
Maybe the gun.
Well, it's too bad the perp couldn't have left that.
Yeah, all he left was this pair of gloves.
Explains the dozens of useless bloody smudges we found.
Probably wearing them because of the cold.
Sorry to spoil your fun, but the Captain's calling.
You know, this was a lot of overkill.
Somebody wanted Keppler to suffer.
Someone Keppler knew well enough to let in.
No forced entry.
So you think it was one of the four boys he molested? Or one of the family members who decided he deserved the death penalty.
Well, hopefully, CSU will find his DNA in there somewhere.
And we'll compare it to the boys' DNA we've got from Keppler's trial.
Not without their parents' permission.
It's evidence, Alex.
Those boys gave their DNA voluntarily.
As sexual assault victims.
Judge Moredock sealed it after the trial to protect the boys.
If I'm going to ask him to unseal it, he's going to want to know we have their full cooperation.
Our only option now is to go back and interview the families again.
Forgot what it felt like having you kicking our asses, Counselor.
Alex's foot will be the least of our problems if a pissed-off parent goes running to the press.
Be gentle.
After all we've been through, now you're accusing my son of murder? No, Mrs.
McTeague.
But we have to rule everybody out.
Can you tell me where you and Justin went yesterday after court? My sister's, on Staten Island, to toast the verdict.
And how long were you there? We stayed the night.
I toasted a few too many times to drive home.
Did any of the other boys or their parents seem angry enough to kill Dr.
Keppler? The whole lot of us are mad as hell.
But you're barking up the wrong tree.
We didn't want his life.
We wanted his money.
Because none of us are going to get a dime out of Denslow Hospital.
Why not? Because we all signed arbitration papers.
You agreed not to sue Denslow for malpractice? Some suit told us that if we didn't sign, Dr.
Keppler couldn't treat our kids anymore.
We trusted him.
He was a good doctor.
You weren't concerned about signing your rights away? Yeah.
And we weren't the only ones.
Who else? Lillian Siefeld.
Keppler's head nurse for years.
She told us not to sign, then she suddenly disappeared.
We were told she got promoted.
Lillian.
Sergeant John Munch, NYPD.
I'd like to talk to you about Dr.
Keppler.
Well, the jury found him guilty.
He's dead.
Why now? Because until today, we never heard about you.
Any idea why? They must have erased the records.
Listen, if they see me talking to you, I'm If who sees us talking, Lillian? You don't understand.
He said he would take away my job and my pension.
"He.
He.
" Now, is this the man who threatened you? Yes.
That's Coldwell.
I'm sorry.
I should have done more.
I You knew what Dr.
Keppler was doing? No.
Dr.
Keppler always had one of us chaperone when he was examining a female patient.
But on this day, it was very, very busy.
We had two nurses out, and I got all mixed up and I just walked into the wrong room.
And I saw Dr.
Keppler with Dale Overton.
He was one of the boys at the trial.
And I saw what he was doing.
He molested that boy and you did nothing to stop him.
But I did what I thought I was supposed to do.
I went to the woman at the human resources.
I reported it.
So she brought Coldwell in? Yes.
And he brought me right upstairs, and he said that the hospital takes this very seriously.
And I said, "You have to confront Keppler.
" Did he? No.
He said that Keppler would just deny everything.
That it was my word against his word.
And that if it was not true, he would just sue the hospital.
So Coldwell didn't believe you? No, he did believe me.
But he didn't think the jury would believe me.
Lillian? Why didn't you come to us? Well, I threatened to come to you, but Coldwell said if I went to the police, that he would make sure they took away my job and my health insurance.
And my husband is sick.
And I just did not know what to do.
Denslow Hospital didn't give a damn that Keppler was abusing those boys.
All they cared about was plugging potential leaks.
And Logan Coldwell was their plumber.
He knew Keppler was a pedophile and didn't call us.
We can collar him for obstruction.
No, we can't.
He was the hospital's attorney.
So, technically, Keppler was also his client.
A lawyer knows his client is going to commit a crime, he's got to tell somebody.
Well, that gives him the choice to break privilege.
Not an obligation.
So we can't touch Coldwell.
Not for that.
But we have him on one count of obstruction for buying Lillian's silence.
And that's just for starters.
I'll have the arrest warrant drawn up first thing tomorrow morning.
Where are we on Keppler's murder? Circling the bowl.
All four victims and relevant family members have airtight alibis.
Autopsy report in, yet? Yeah, it came in an hour ago.
Keppler died at approximately 1:00 a.
m.
And check this out.
Warner found traces of gold plating in his head wounds.
That didn't come from the golf club.
But CSU got skin cells off the gloves.
Warner got a whole bunch of hits.
Only one of them is not in jail.
Which one did it? None of them.
DNA belongs to a Clive Lynwood.
Lives on Fifth Avenue, with his registered handgun.
Hi.
Hi.
My name is Jeff.
Are you the police? Detectives Benson and Stabler.
Is Clive Lynwood home? My dad and mom went out.
I just got home from work.
Well, this is a warrant to search your apartment.
Wow.
Do you want me to help you? That'd be great.
Have you seen your dad's gun? Yeah.
It's really cool.
Do you know where he keeps it? Yeah.
Right in there, in a special box.
It's empty.
Uh-oh.
Does your dad carry the gun with him? No.
He's not allowed to.
What color is the gun, Jeff? Gold.
Dad says it's real.
What the hell's happening here? Dad, the police are here.
And where's my gun? You tell us.
Please put your hands behind your back.
Excuse me? What's going on? Clive Lynwood, you're under arrest for murder.
Murder? Are you crazy? Who'd I kill? What are you doing? Take your hands off of him! You have the right to remain silent.
No.
No.
Who did I kill? Come back.
Please don't take my dad to jail.
Please don't take my dad to jail.
Alex.
Appeals get so boring you came back for more sex-capades? I'm just a temp, Lorna.
Your client, on the other hand, is looking at life without parole.
You've been away for too long.
Lost your touch.
Mr.
Lynwood is innocent.
Then Mr.
Lynwood can explain why his.
45 is suddenly missing.
You think he's the only rich guy in town with a gold-plated handgun? No, I think he's the only guy in town whose DNA was on the gloves we found at the scene.
And the only reason his DNA is in the database is because he was convicted of a felony.
You must be talking about that bogus menacing charge? Tell them, Clive.
Well, I was on my way back from the Hamptons and a trooper pulls me over, asks me to take a dee-wee test, and I made a silly joke about him having a thing against people who drive Maseratis.
And he got all pissy.
Well, maybe he got pissy because of the 2.
2 you blew into the breathalyzer.
He sees my Swiss army knife sitting in the console between the two seats, and says because of my so-called weapon, he can up the DUl to a menacing charge and take my DNA.
Fascinating.
Now, explain how your DNA got into Gilbert Keppler's brownstone.
Here's the fun part.
We don't have to explain anything.
See you in court.
Miss Cabot, do you have an application? Yes.
Remand without bail.
Your Honor, the People have no valid evidence with which to proceed.
Seems valid to me, Ms.
Scarry.
According to the arresting officer's deposition, your client's DNA was found at the scene.
Thirteen genetic markers is the standard for DNA identification.
Mr.
Lynwood was ID'd with only five and a half.
That means that there's a one in a million chance that someone else murdered Gilbert Keppler.
If you compare those five markers to just one randomly selected person.
But compared to all 300,000 profiles in the State's DNA data bank, those chances drop to one in three.
Which means what, Ms.
Scarry? That of the dozen or so men in this room it is just as possible that he murdered Dr.
Keppler or him or that gentleman.
Who's actually from the FBI's own DNA advisory board and will back me up on this.
Your Honor, the courts have never ruled against law enforcement on this issue.
I'm sorry, Miss Cabot.
There's always a first time.
We have been burned by faulty DNA before.
I'm throwing it out.
There is no other evidence linking my client to this horrible crime.
Your Honor.
It's I'm dismissing the charges.
Mr.
Lynwood, you're free to go.
Thank you.
Ten minute recess.
I'm glad you're back, Alexandra.
Try to show up prepared next time.
Yes, Judge.
Alex.
This isn't your fault.
Yes, it is.
We have Clive Lynwood's DNA, and he's walking out of here.
I'll try to find something else linking him to Keppler.
I went over everything again.
No more DNA.
And the only thing I did find isn't going to be much help.
We'll take whatever you've got.
This spent.
45 shell casing is the same brand of ammo our shooter used.
I put my fingerprint on it.
I don't see it.
Now, here's a casing from the crime scene.
Looks like the fingerprint's etched into it.
It is.
Heat of the gunpowder igniting caused the oils in the print to corrode the metal.
So our perp wasn't wearing gloves when he loaded the gun.
Too bad the print's not in the system.
So why isn't your print etched in? Because I'm a vegetarian.
What does that mean? Vegetarians leave prints, too.
Yeah.
Fingerprints are chemical secretions.
We secrete what we eat.
My prints are less likely to corrode metal because my diet is low in sodium.
You're telling me our perp's prints are burned into that shell casing because he eats too much salt? Or works around it.
Like at a fast food restaurant.
Last night, when we collared Clive, his son was wearing a Happiburger uniform.
Explains why Clive came up in the system.
His son shares half his DNA.
Wow.
That was fun.
I never rode in a police car before.
Empty.
I have to throw it away.
Here.
I will.
There's a trash can outside.
Have a seat.
So, Jeff, what do you do at Happiburger? Clean up.
My boss says next year maybe I can be a grill man.
Do you know what we do here? You catch people who do bad things.
Am I in trouble? Am I going to jail? Are you going to take my fingerprints? Well, if you did something bad.
Did you do something bad? No.
No, I don't want my mom and dad to yell at me.
Like if you took your dad's gun? My dad's gun is not a toy.
I'm not supposed to touch it if he is not there.
Your dad ever let you touch it? Sure.
He let me put the bullets in.
And he took me to the range, so I could shoot it.
I shot the man on the paper.
I made two holes in him.
Where does your dad keep his bullets? I can't tell you.
It's a secret.
I'm pretty good with secrets.
You can tell me.
In his closet.
Under the socks.
Under the socks? Jeff, you know, you don't have to talk to us if you don't want to.
And if you do we can use what you say against you.
And if you want a lawyer, we have to get you one.
That's okay.
I like talking to you.
You're pretty.
Jeff, do you know a man named Dr.
Keppler? No.
Jeff, if you lie to us, we have to punish you.
And we don't want to do that.
You know Dr.
Keppler? I went to Dr.
Keppler when I was little.
But then I told Mom that I wanted to go to a different doctor.
How come? Because we learned in school that nobody is supposed to touch you down there.
Did Dr.
Keppler touch you down there? Yeah.
He rubbed me.
And he said it was okay because he was a doctor.
And then I saw him going to jail on TV.
And I was very angry with him because he told me a lie.
Did you go see Dr.
Keppler? I went to his house after work.
And I took Dad's gun, I pointed it at him, and I asked him why he lied to me.
Well, what did he say? He tried to hit me with the golf club.
But he hit the gun.
And a bullet went into his knee and he fell down.
And then he called me stupid.
That is a bad name that the bullies call me.
So I got angry again.
And I shot and shot and shot.
But none of the bullets hit him.
And he called me an idiot.
But there were no more bullets left.
So I hit him with Dad's gun again and again and again.
But then the gun got all red and slippery, so I hit him with the golf club.
And then he didn't call me names anymore.
Jeffrey, you know what you did to Dr.
Keppler was wrong.
Dad says if a bully hurts me, I've got to fight back and kill the bastard.
Are you at all concerned that he's slow? That's the defense's problem.
Not mine.
Arrest him.
Lionel Granger? What the hell are you doing here? Jeffrey's boss called and said that you'd picked Jeffrey up from work.
So I called Mr.
Granger.
Mr.
Granger represented your son's abuser, Mrs.
Lynwood.
He knows full well defending your son is a whopping conflict of interest.
Not when the abuser's dead and I have a waiver from his estate, Alex.
She hire you because you know Keppler's filthy little secrets? Who better to represent her son? Jeffrey.
Mommy, please don't be mad.
Sweetie, I'm not mad at you.
I'm not mad at you.
What did you tell them? The truth.
Just like you always say.
You should have called me.
Your son is 19, Mrs.
Lynwood.
The law doesn't require us to.
We're arresting him for second degree murder.
You can't do that.
Please.
He's an abuse victim.
Alex, talk to him yourself.
You'll see he's suffering from rape trauma syndrome.
If you believe that, then let our shrink interview him.
Fine.
Jeff, do you have any trouble sleeping? Get in trouble when I'm sleeping? That's silly.
Have you ever had any nightmares about Dr.
Keppler? Sometimes.
He looks like a monster.
He's very scary.
Can you read this? Uh-oh.
What is it? Are you a doctor? Yes, I am.
I Where's my mom? I want to go now.
Jeffrey? You can't leave this room.
Let me out.
No.
I'm not going to hurt you.
Get out of my way! You're a bad man! You're a bad man! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it.
Doctors are bad! Doctors are bad! Doctors are bad! Get off me! Get off me! I didn't black out.
My head doesn't hurt.
I don't feel nauseous or dizzy.
I don't need to go to the hospital.
Then you've got to sign you're refusing transport, Doc.
Chief of D is going to want my incident report on his desk first thing.
Then go fill it out.
I'm okay.
Are you sure? About me, yes.
But not about Jeffrey.
I think there's something really wrong with him.
Something like what? A developmental disability.
He acts like a child.
He can't process a simple sentence.
He has a job.
He can read.
He takes care of himself.
A lot of people like Jeff are high-functioning.
Most of them don't commit murder.
He almost killed you.
Because he can't control his temper or his emotions.
He's still mentally competent.
He made a plan.
He got Daddy's gun, he loaded it, and he shoved it in Keppler's face.
To make Keppler tell him the truth.
He shot him and he bashed his brains in.
Because Keppler was calling him names.
He's an eight-year-old in a man's body.
His IQ is probably right on the borderline.
Can you definitively say that I cannot try him because he's retarded? No.
Jeffrey, when Detectives Benson and Stabler brought you to the police station, were they nice to you? No.
They were mean.
How were they mean? They said if I lied, they were going to punish me.
And the man touched me.
Where did Detective Stabler touch you? On my shoulder.
I got scared.
Is that why you told the detectives you killed Dr.
Keppler? Yeah.
Nothing further.
Do you know a boy named Chad Smith? I don't want to talk about him.
Why not, Jeff? 'Cause he's a bully.
Did you beat him up? Somebody tell me how this is relevant.
Goes to the defendant's credibility, Your Honor.
I'll allow it.
Answer the question, young man.
Did you beat this boy up? Yeah.
In fact, you broke his nose and two of his ribs when he called you a moron.
Don't say that.
And when your principal asked you why you hit Chad, you said Chad hit you first.
Is that correct? Why are you being so mean? Because you lied, Jeffrey, so that you wouldn't get into trouble.
It's the same reason that you lied about the police forcing you to confess to killing Dr Stop yelling at me! I am not a liar! Your Honor.
We're in recess.
Counsel, in my chambers right now.
I want her brought before the disciplinary committee for badgering Jeffrey.
My clients are furious.
Clients? Jeffrey Lynwood is your client.
Not his parents.
I'm moving to disqualify Mr.
Granger as counsel.
She's posturing.
You're a sleazebag.
You're letting Jeffrey's father call the shots because he can pay you and Jeffrey can't.
I'm acting in my client's best interests.
Your client has as much business on a witness stand as I do riding in a rodeo.
Only a horse's ass would ignore his diminished mental capacity.
You're out of line, Your Honor.
And you are a disgrace to the defense bar, Mr.
Granger.
And if you don't get your act in line, I'll grant her motion and report you to the disciplinary committee.
Now get out! Not you, Alex.
You're not blameless in this.
The People don't have the burden to prove the defendant incompetent to stand trial.
No, you have a bigger burden.
To see that justice is done.
I am.
Jeffrey Lynwood killed a man.
Jeffrey Lynwood has the mind of a child.
He can't stand up for himself.
Violating his rights isn't justice.
Your Honor, with all due respect, we aren't in your Constitutional Law class anymore.
This is the real world.
I know you've seen more of the real world than anybody should have to.
It took guts to come back.
And I'm glad you did.
But you can't afford to forget why you became an A.
D.
A.
In the first place.
The Alexandra Cabot I remember wouldn't even consider railroading this poor young man.
You were right.
I was out for blood.
And I was about to call you.
I think I know what's really wrong with Jeffrey.
What difference does it make? Incompetent is incompetent.
The tragedy is it didn't have to be that way.
How can you be sure? We need to talk to his mother.
I can't talk to you.
Mrs.
Lynwood.
Please.
When Jeffrey was a baby, did he hit all his developmental milestones? Yeah.
He was fine until he was five.
And then what happened? He had a seizure.
And his brain swelled.
And we thought he was going to die.
When he finally recovered, he just He wasn't the same.
Dr.
Keppler said that it was a miracle that he survived.
Did he know what caused the seizure? He said it was epilepsy.
Dr.
Keppler missed Jeffrey's pica.
What is pica? It's a rare neurological disorder in which a person eats objects other than food.
Like when Jeffrey was chewing on the pencil in court.
That's why we couldn't make him stop putting things in his mouth.
What kinds of things? Whatever he could get his hands on.
Is there any chance you kept something? Yes.
His little toy cars.
My husband came home from work one night with dozens of them.
And two days later, Jeffrey had licked the paint off every one of them.
He said they tasted like sweet and sour candy.
Virginia? Did you let them in here? Yes.
They're here to help Jeffrey.
No, they're not.
They're here to slap a label on him.
We know what's wrong with your son.
So do I.
He's a little slow.
Wake up, Clive.
Jeffrey is developmentally delayed.
He is never going to be the perfect child you always wanted.
But he was perfectly fine when he was a baby.
He wasn't born this way.
And I can prove it.
After seeing Jeff eat the pencil in court yesterday, I ordered an MRI of his brain.
These red spots indicate areas of missing grey matter.
Missing? How? Chronic lead poisoning prevented Jeff's brain cells from growing.
Lead poisoning? Are you sure? Most kids get it from breathing dust from decaying lead paint.
But kids with pica are also at high risk.
Lead buildup in Jeff's body probably caused his seizure.
Studies link lead poisoning in kids to violent behavior when they become adults.
Are you saying this excuses what Jeffrey did? Jeff's anterior cingulate cortex, the emotion and decision-making center of the brain is badly damaged.
With the right provocation, that's like taking the muzzle off a rabid dog.
It explains why he reacted so violently when Dr.
Keppler called him names.
Keppler never tested Jeffrey for lead, before or after the seizure, did he? No.
He never even mentioned it.
So that bastard victimized my son twice.
Hi, Mom.
Hi, Dad.
Hey.
How are you doing, kiddo? I don't like it here.
The people aren't nice.
Why are you crying, Daddy? Because I didn't help you enough.
And I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
It's okay, Dad.
I did a bad thing.
So I guess this means we're not going back to trial.
Yes, we are.
Sir, could you please state your name, position and why you're here for the record? Michael Rowan.
President and Chief Executive Officer of Rowan Toys, Incorporated.
You asked me to appear as an expert witness on our products.
Defense stipulates to the witness' expertise, Your Honor.
The People's three and four, Your Honor.
Mr.
Rowan, what are these? Our mini ice cream truck.
Still a big seller.
Paint's missing on that one.
That's because Jeffrey Lynwood chewed it off.
Which the defense claims gave him lead poisoning.
That's impossible.
Lead-based paint has been banned from toys in this country since 1978.
We haven't used it since.
What about on the toys you make overseas? Of course not.
We spot-check our manufacturers' shipments, as does the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Then why did the NYPD's crime laboratory find that the paint on these toys contained over 50%% lead? You brought me here under false pretenses.
You lied to me.
You lied to the whole world.
These e-mails between you and your Chinese manufacturer prove that you knowingly poisoned children over decades.
I'm done answering your questions.
Defense in on your little setup, too? Sit down, sir.
You're out of order.
No, you're out of order, Judge.
You and your corrupt D.
A.
And your joke of a court.
And if you think you're going to get away with this That's enough.
Officers, remove this witness from the courtroom.
I can walk on my own.
We've got him.
We'll take it from here.
Put your hands behind your back.
Who the hell are you? Police.
You're under arrest for reckless endangerment.
I'll have your ass for this.
I already have yours.
And it's on the record.
Jeffrey Allen Lynwood.
Do you have anything to say before I deliver my verdict? I'm sorry, sir.
I didn't mean to hurt anyone.
Then on the sole count of murder in the second degree, I find you not guilty by reason of mental defect.
As per the plea agreement with the District Attorney you will surrender yourself to the Commissioner of Health for hospitalization.
Until it is determined that you are no longer a threat to yourself or others.
We're adjourned.
Bye, Mom.
Bye, Dad.
We'll be up to see you and visit soon.
Okay? How long will Jeff have to be in the hospital? The Judge has promised to review his progress in a month.
And he can come live with us after he's released? He doesn't have to.
Rowan Toys has agreed to support Jeff financially for the rest of his life.
The agreement is binding, and they can't back out.
Thank you.
Come on.
Voluntarily pledged? After the Feds recalled his toys, Rowan offered me the deal so I wouldn't charge him.
Once he signed, I told him to shove it.
You really are back, aren't you?