20x16 - Facing Demons

[bunniefuu]

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.

Jason, what did you think about Meredith's intro on Avis and Ernest?

Go.

It was a total spoiler.

Yeah, but that's what's cool about it.

Even though we know their hopes and dreams are gonna come to a crashing end?

It's so unfair.

But there's a silver lining.

There is a happy ending for humanity.

Yeah, I guess so.

Okay, Katie just gave me the bat signal.

[CHUCKLING]

All right, guys, so go out there, cast your spells on the world.

All right, badasses, get out of here.

Go!

Hey, Micah.

Potato!

There he is, it'll just be two or three days max.

There's that, and more food under the sink if you need it.

Cool.

We're gonna have hella fun, aren't we, Po?

And Potato likes it when you scratch him behind the ears, don't you, baby?

Yeah.

Bye, buddy.

Okay.

Come on, Potato, we have to go out.

Come!

- Come.

- [BARKING]

Po, Micah will be back soon.

[WHINING]

Aw, Po...

[BARKING]

Micah?

[GASPS]

Oh, my God.

[DOG WHINING]

I thought Rollins was on call tonight.

Jesse has the flu.

Baby germs, great.

Now we're all gonna get sick.

Flu sh*t, Carisi.

What do you got?

Micah Fuller.

Neighbor found him, called .

Okay, any signs of forced entry?

Nope, his door was unlocked.

What about a struggle?

No, just a couple of empty sleeping pill bottles on the coffee table.

He left his dog with the neighbor who found him.

Okay, if this is a su1c1de, why did you call us?

Some pictures on the floor.

"I'm sorry." These kids can't be more than or .

Micah Fuller was a...

was a pedophile?

Looks like it finally caught up with him.

Well, he may be dead but his victims aren't.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪ Have we figured out who these kids are?

TARU is doing a sweep of Micah Fuller's devices,

but so far, nothing.

He took Polaroids, so.

It's a good way to avoid a digital footprint.

You uploaded these to NCMEC?

Yeah, I sent the originals to the lab for analysis.

Okay, so what do we know about this guy?

Well, I mean, the neighbors say he was quiet, polite.

There was a girlfriend briefly.

His parents are at the morgue now.

- They should be down here shortly.

- We know what he did for a living?

Yeah, he worked at Alastair Bookstore, it's downtown.

I don't know it.

Okay, you stay with the photos, I'll have Carisi hit the bookstore.

All right.

- _ - [DRAMATIC MUSIC]



- When did this happen?

- Over the weekend.

Oh, no.

Did Micah have any contact with the kids who come in here?

Most of his time was spent with books but he did run our YA reading group on Saturdays.

Did the parents have any involvement in this group?

Micah didn't want them here.

He seemed more comfortable with teenagers.

This reading group, how old were the kids?

to ?

Okay, were any of the boys Caucasian?

Two.

I'm gonna need their names.

You're telling us this sicko from the reading group took pictures of our son?

We're not even sure it is him.

They're not.

- You're sure?

- No, Jason is chubbier than these boys and he has three big freckles on his right shoulder.

There's no way any of those pictures are my son.

Tommy wears boxers like his dad.

- Thank you for coming in.

- But just because he's not in any of those pictures doesn't mean...

He talked about this Micah kid all the time.

- He still could've...

- Listen.

There's no way of knowing, Mr.

Meyers.

So I think the best thing for you to do is go home, have a conversation with your son and get back to us, okay?

We're the Fullers.

Micah's parents.

Hey, you better hope that your son didn't touch my kid.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa.

- Easy, easy.

Guys, come...

come this way.

What is that man talking about?

Come on.

Micah struggled with depression.

We really thought he turned a corner when he met Helen.

Helen?

Helen is his girlfriend?

They broke up about a week ago.

He texted me, he said he was fine, but I could tell he was upset.

So Mr.

and Mrs. Fuller, Micah had some Polaroids.

That were of young...

unclothed boys.

What do you mean?

- Nate.

- I wanna see them.

I don't see how that would help anybody, Mr. Fuller, and those...

those boys are victims.

Yeah, and so is my son.

Oh, my God.

What?

This is Micah.

When he was a kid.

Which one?

All of them.

Th...

this is his bedroom.

This is our bathroom.

We bought him those outer space jockeys - when he was years old.

- So who the hell took these?

Does this mean Micah was molested?

You're damn right it does.

How else do you explain these?

Let's...

let's not jump to conclusions.

We don't know.

Um, I think the best place to start right now is if you could give us Helen's last name.

He k*lled himself because of me?

No, of course not.

Micah had issues.

Believe me, I know.

What do you mean?

Um, Micah took things slow.

He didn't even kiss me until our fourth date.

We never actually had sex.

Did you ask him about that?

He said he really liked me and wanted to wait.

I thought it was sweet at first but then I started to feel like it was me.

It wasn't.

The night we finally decided to sleep together.

Um, Micah couldn't.

That's when he told me somebody molested him when he was a kid.

Did he say by who?

No.

He did say that the guy asked him to take pictures of himself.

I felt like a jerk for breaking up with him, but I'm years old I just...

I wanted a normal relationship.

Do you know of anyone who would know?

He did mention this guy, Billy, who used to be his best friend.

Billy Ryan.

[MACHINE g*n RATTLING]

How did he...

Sorry, dude.

Don't tell me.

Micah's girlfriend told us that you two were pretty close in middle school.

Yeah, grew up down the street from each other.

When's the last time you saw Micah?

Not for a while.

- Damn.

- What is it?

Micah emailed me, like, two days ago.

What'd he say?

I hadn't opened it yet.

Me and my girl were smurfing on level six of "k*ll or be Slaughtered." Hang on.

Okay, this is from Saturday night.

Hey, sorry I've been out of touch.

You might be hearing some things about me in the near future that will be hard for you to understand.

All I can bring myself to say right now is, if you wanna know why, ask Gary.

Who's Gary?

I don't know.

Why would he send you that, then?

If I would've read this, maybe I could have...

Ugh.

Okay, look, man.

Let's go back to the beginning.

What were you and Micah into when you were, like, , years old?

We played video games at our apartments.

Went to the movies, the park.

Was Micah into anything else?

Wait a second.

Micah used to do magic tricks.

He made these nerdy YouTube videos with a costume and props.

Gary was the guy who taught him magic.

One day Micah threw away all of his magic stuff.

Yeah, I remember that being super weird.

You know, to be so into something and then, you know, game over.

So TARU was able to recover Micah's YouTube videos.

And what happens on the internet stays on the internet.

I just talked to the Fullers, they have no idea who this Gary is.

Hello, and welcome

to the Marvelous Micah Magic Show,

starring yours truly, ta-da!

He made nine videos.

This was the last one.

June th .

Okay, he would have been the same age as he was in the Polaroids.

[SCREAMING]

Ahh, that really hurt.

Abracadabra!

Hold on, there.

Go back.

Go back a few frames.

There.

Look at that.

The poster on the wall.

The Gray Rabbit Magic Shop.

You guys, go.

_ I...

I think your boy is gonna love these vanishing coins.

And if you bring him by, I'll show him how to turn a dollar bill into a C note.

- Gary?

- That's me.

Are you the owner?

I oughta be, I've been working here years.

Is this about the shoplifting thing last month?

Not exactly.

I wanna ask you about this boy.

Micah Fuller.

You recognize him?

No, I can't say I do.

Excuse me.

Customer appreciation snapshots?

- Yeah.

- Mind if I take a look at your camera?

Oh, gosh.

That thing broke a long time ago.

So what'd you say, his name is Michael?

Micah.

Micah.

No, I'm sorry.

I wish I could be more help.

Well, us too, Gary.

Us too.

Thanks.

So Gary Dolan, age .

Fin said he looked like he'd seen a ghost when they showed him a photo of Micah.

If there's any magic in the world, let's hope Micah's haunting him.

So, polaroids at the shop were just like the ones at the crime scene.

Yeah, he's got the perfect set up there to groom his victims.

Be great if there was any proof of that.

Yep, well, we'll try to track down the kids from the Magic Shop photos.

Yeah it would be great if you could get us a warrant for Dolan's apartment.

I need to allege a specific crime to apply for a warrant.

- Micah's Polaroids.

- Were in Micah's possession, not Dolan's.

Look, I'd love to go after this guy but I need something to hang my hat on.

I keep replaying the last time Micah and I spoke.

Why didn't I see it?

I was so hard on him, I'll never forgive myself.

Can't imagine how difficult this is for both of you.

You know, there are support groups that...

that can help.

Thank you.

You said you had some more questions for us?

I do.

Did Micah ever display any behavior back then that seemed highly sexualized?

You know, we're...

we're just trying to pinpoint a time when something may have happened.

I wouldn't have overlooked something like that.

There was one time.

You were in Boulder at your college reunion.

I had to take him to the doctor.

Why?

He spilled drain cleaner on his...

on his genitals.

- What?

- I knew if I told you you'd be on the first plane home.

Okay, I'm gonna need the exact date of your college reunion.

You're wasting your time.

No worries, I'm enjoying trashing your place.

There's nothing in the bedroom.

Nothing in there, either.

Look at this, on top of everything else, he was a coach for a youth league?

What, in the 's?

And how many of those kids...

- What, Liv?

- Oh...

It's nothing, it just...

um, One of these kids looks like somebody I used to know.

Hey, Liv.

Well, I'm flattered that you recognized me.

Where'd you...

where'd you get this?

It came up on a case that we're working on.

Oh really?

What, a deep dive into the Hudson youth league?

Pedophile named Gary Dolan.

Ah, coach Gary.

Really?

We found this picture in his apartment.

Oh, yeah, well.

There's a coincidence for ya.

We believe that he molested a kid in .

Hey, you want a cup of coffee, Liv?

No, no, I'm good.

Um, So Dolan worked in a magic shop, that's where he met the victim.

Three days ago the kid committed su1c1de.

[SHUDDERS]

Jesus.

Look, I know that it's a long sh*t, but if you remember any instance where he was inappropriate with any of the kids?

No, no, I mean, it was a long time ago.

I played for him for, I don't know, one season?

It was nothing.

- Hey.

- Hey, hi.

- Hey.

- Hey.

Uh, I forgot the laundry room keycard.

You know, um, this is, uh, this is my friend...

this is Olivia, and this is Madison, - She's my neighbor.

- I'm...

I'm gonna go.

Hey, Liv, I'm real sorry I couldn't help you out.

Yeah, no worries.

Nice meeting you.

- Yeah.

- Bye.

Now I can allege a specific act of sexual abuse.

The day Micah saw the doctor.

It's something.

So what else do you need?

Preferably a victim who's still alive - and willing to press charges.

- Well, we're working on that.

Look, Dolan has probably been abusing boys since the 's.

What makes you say that?

Because he coached youth baseball back then.

Wow.

Fertile grounds for a predator.

You know, one weird thing, Brian Cassidy was on one of Dolan's teams.

Did you ask Cassidy about Dolan?

I did, and he doesn't remember anything.

I'm gonna check in with the Youth League office and I'll let you know if we find out anything.

Yeah, okay.

Come on.

Cassidy, it's Peter Stone.

Call me back, it's important.

Damnit.

- Cassidy!

- Hey.

Stone, what are you doing here, man?

That's a colt.

Your service w*apon's a Glock.

You don't wanna mess with me right now.

Really, well, I hope you're ready to sh**t me too 'cause that's what it's gonna take.

Really?

Whose side are you on, huh?

- Whose side am I on?

- Yeah, whose side?

After what he did to that kid?

What he did to me?

I'm not gonna let you ruin your life!

Yeah, you're too late for that!

Get your hands off me!

- Stop, stop!

- Get your hands off me!

Stop!

Stop.

Okay?

Hey, think about what you're doing.

It's not gonna happen like this, Brian, okay?

Here.

Look, the last time I checked, Dolan moved down to Jacksonville in the 's.

All right, I had no idea he was back up here hurting kids.

I swear to God.

I'm the one who's supposed to stop him.

And then Liv comes to your door with this?

[SCOFFS]

That must have been tough.

Yeah, tough?

No, you have no idea.

Look, with your testimony, we're gonna put this son of a bitch away for a long time.

Testimony?

What are you crazy?

I'm not testifying in an open court and telling a bunch of strangers what that sick son of a bitch did to me.

Hey, this isn't your fault.

Save your breath.

You have done the hard part.

The rest is downhill from here.

The hard part?

Are you crazy?

I'm damaged goods, Stone.

I see it every time I look in the mirror.

Maybe you should talk to Liv.

No.

No man, she...

She can't know anything about this.

You gotta...

you gotta promise me that.

No, no, no.

She's the only person who's ever seen any good in me.

And I can't not have that.

- I need that.

- Okay.

You have to find another way.

I'll be presenting to a grand jury tomorrow.

Once your client is indicted, the plea will be top count only.

So what is the one time, super-duper, special offer?

Sexual abuse in the first degree, three to nine.

Years?

Micah committed su1c1de because of you.

You're damn lucky I can't prosecute you for homicide.

I had absolutely nothing to do with this young man's death.

I am a convenient scapegoat.

You have a thin connection at best between my client and Micah Fuller.

How do you explain the email that named your client?

Come on, there must be a million guys in this country named Gary.

Micah Fuller wrote that when he was high as a space shuttle.

Micah was a troubled boy.

You know, I tried to foster his love of magic ten years ago.

You know, give a troubled boy a little attention...

I am gonna bury you, Dolan.

You're a serial predator and you've been preying on boys since you coached youth league baseball.

Your victim is dead and your entire case is smoke and mirrors.

Let's go, Gary.

Waste of time.

Youth League?

I was bluffing.

Oh, 'cause Liv told me that, um, that Cassidy was in one of Dolan's team photos.

She told me that was a coincidence.

'Cause you remember how Cassidy lost it on the stand last year testifying against that pedophile doctor?

Yeah.

What are you saying?

I'm not sure.

Get a green juice?

A green juice?

What a shock.

[CHUCKLES]

And a coffee.

Black.

That's great, thanks.

So what's up?

I've been going through the social media pages.

Some of these kids I played Youth League with.

There's a few boys there this guy Dolan may have targeted.

Can I ask you a question, Stone?

If something happened back then, I mean, it's too late to prosecute now, right?

I could still use them as prior bad acts witnesses in Micah's case.

Can we reach out to them?

It's not something you wanna approach over a telephone.

One of the guys lives in Connecticut, one guy lives in Providence.

You feel like taking a road trip with me?

_ Did this coach do that to you, Rob?

So, you just assumed the gay guy must have been diddled?

Is that it?

Look, we're just, uh, we're just asking questions here.

You know I, I know this is uncomfortable.

Why is this even coming up now?

This is Gary Dolan's latest victim.

Oh, my God.

Look, Micah Fuller was years old.

All right?

He committed su1c1de because Gary molested him ten years ago.

Well, there is nothing that I can do about that, now is there?

[CLEARS THROAT]

Hey, Rob.

Gary paid a lot of attention to you back then, right?

He gave you rides to the games?

That Wilson A that he bought you.

I mean, hell, I would'a done anything to score a pro mitt like that.

How envious were you, Brian?

Hmm?

Did you get into Gary's station wagon?

If you testify, Mr.

Dennison, we can...

Not a chance.

I want you to take your snapshots and I want you to get the hell out.

Come on, Rob, these problems we've had, they could...

Shut up, Ted.

I don't have to listen to this.

Yo!

Amigo Leo.

- Brian Cassidy.

- [LAUGHS]

Come here.

What it do, my man?

What's going on, huh?

- How long has it been?

- Been a long time.

My mom told me you became a detective.

- Just like your old man.

- Can you believe that?

- Well, good for you.

- Thanks, thanks.

Hey, you got somewhere private that we could talk, maybe?

- For a hot second?

- Yeah.

- Yeah?

Awesome.

- Sure, man.

- Okay.

- Yeah, right in there.

Coach Gary?

Yeah, that guy was definitely out there.

You know?

But I never had anything weird with him.

Yeah, okay.

One day you're mowing down batters like it's no one's business, right?

And all of a sudden you just up and poof.

You disappear.

What was that?

I got bored.

Got bored?

No, no, come on.

I don't buy that.

Not for a second.

Look, I'm really sorry about this Micah kid.

But I should really get back to work.

Good seeing you, Brian.

Yeah, you too.

Hey, is that your boy over there on the wall?

Yeah.

Connor.

His mom and I are divorced.

I don't get to see him that much.

He's a good looking kid.

You know, I read your rap sheet.

On the drive up here.

- Did you?

- Yeah.

And I'll bet you bucks there's booze in that thermos over there.

I always liked you, Cassidy.

But I am not above knocking your lights out.

Nobody's judging you, Mr.

Berry.

Ah, nah, it's okay.

I got this.

Yeah, I recognize that anger.

I see it.

I been there.

I get it.

What'd Gary do to you?

All right, I'll tell you what, Leo.

We're staying at the Sheraton if you wanna come by.

Talk, have a drink.

Yeah.

All right, it's good to see you, man.

Good to see you, Brian.

Let's go.

You think I'm a hypocrite?

Trying to get these guys to testify - when I won't even...

- No, I don't think that.

I do.

Cards on the table.

What are you afraid of?

I told one person before you.

This kid in High School, he was a friend of mine.

I didn't tell him the whole story, I just told him Dolan grabbed my junk, but, the look in his eyes?

I'll never forget that.

Cassidy, he was a kid.

You don't think I saw that exact same look in your eyes?

Huh?

You're uncomfortable.

Yeah.

I was new to SVU.

I didn't know how to handle that.

Yeah, exactly, just like all the guys that I work with, and the guys that I hang out with.

Look, Rob and Leo, right?

They get to go to New York, testify, then they get to go back home with all their secrets intact.

Hey, Leo.

Hey.

Guys down at the Sheraton told me you might be here.

When I got off work I saw my son's drawing on the fridge.

Just got me thinking, you know?

If it was Connor that k*lled himself, someone out there knew the truth, I'd want that person to come forward.

So, yeah.

Yeah, Gary molested me.

And I...

I'll testify to it.

All right.

Hey.

- Peter?

- Hey.

What's going on?

Leo Berry, this is Lieutenant Benson.

Hi, Mr.

Berry, - nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you.

Gary Dolan coached Leo in .

Um, I'm Detective Rollins.

Why don't you come have a seat?

Do you mind?

- How...

- I made a lot of phone calls.

And with Leo's testimony about Dolan's prior bad acts, at least we'll have a sh*t now.

Okay.

He made a lot of phone calls?

That's what he said.

I called the regional youth league office myself, and they told me that the team rosters weren't computerized back then, and that the paper files were long gone.

- You want me to go pick up Dolan?

- No.

You stay here with Mr.

Berry.

We're closed.

Yeah, you been preying on boys for years.

- Talk to my lawyer.

- Brian Cassidy.

- Hudson youth league.

- What about him?

Takes balls to molest a cop's son.

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

Or maybe you're just so sick that you couldn't help yourself.

Turn around.

You're under arrest for sexual as*ault of Micah Fuller and you're gonna pay for what you did to Brian Cassidy.

Oh, good luck making any of that stick.

You don't know me very well, Dolan, but I don't give up ever.

Especially when you hurt somebody that I care about.

Going somewhere?

Yeah, I'm going out of town for a bit.

All these years and I didn't see it?

Why didn't you tell me, Brian?

Take a wild guess.

Was I that hard to talk to?

What, you want us to sit around, and hold hands, and cry together, Liv?

Come on.

Brian, you're suffering.

Just talk to me.

Would you just let it go, Liv?

- I wanna...

I wanna help you.

- Let it go.

I'm not one of your survivors, okay?

I'm a cop, Liv.

- I know that.

- Yeah, I'm a cop.

Your pep talks, your support groups, they're not gonna work on me, all right?

You know what, the best thing would have been for us if you had never looked at that baseball picture.

Brian, obviously I'm saying the wrong thing here, I just...

I-I...

I just don't want you to run away from this.

I'm not getting involved in your case, Liv.

It's not about my case, Brian.

It's not about my case.

I just...

I care about you and I'm scared that if you don't deal with this, Brian, that I'm gonna get a call one day that you're the one who has a plastic bag over his head.

I'm dealing with it.

My way.

[CAR DOOR SLAMMING]

Something interesting going on in that cup of coffee?

What's up?

You picked up Dolan last night?

- Yup.

- How'd that go?

Fine.

'Cause the word from central booking is that he was pretty roughed up.

- Did he resist?

- Amanda.

I know about Cassidy.

Stone let something slip and I figured it out from there.

I lived with him, Amanda.

I considered having his children.

Yeah.

Don't b*at yourself up.

He knows Stone for five minutes and then he just opens up and tells him the whole story?

That's why some people go to bars.

I mean, I've told complete strangers things I wouldn't even say out loud to the people I love.

You're a victim here.

You're allowed to hurt.

I tried to talk to him and he just shut me down.

He's too raw.

And I know you're not gonna like hearing this but, he may be like a lot of victims and may never face it.

It's not on you to take care of him.

_

One day after practice,

Gary said he would drive me home.

My father just moved out so I guess I was...

happy to get some attention, I guess.

Then what happened.

We drove to a spot near the river.

It was, um, It was getting dark.

Gary pulled out a bottle of vodka from the glove box.

He said it was what ball players do after a good workout.

So I drank it.

And then he put his hand on my thigh.

He unzipped my pants.

[SNIFFLING]

And he...

Performed oral sex on me.

Is that what ball players do, Gary?

Easy, Mr.

Berry.

Was that the only time he performed a sex act on you?

The same thing went on after practice for a month.

And then I...

I...

I quit the team.

Was there anything else that Gary did during this time period, Leo?

Like what?

Oh, yeah.

He gave me a camera.

He asked me to take pictures of myself in my underwear.

Did you tell anyone about any of this?

No.

[SNIFFLING]

I wa...

I was too ashamed.

Nothing further.

A family court in Rhode Island found you legally unfit to parent your own child?

I had some problems in my past.

Failed stint in rehab, three DUIs, two felony as*ault arrests.

I...

those were bar fights.

Did you drink before coming to court today?

I had a couple sh*ts to calm my nerves.

Judge, this witness is intoxicated.

- What?

- Your honor, two drinks.

Mr.

Berry is perfectly lucid.

I move to strike his entire testimony.

Approach, with respect.

Do you think this is easy for him?

No, I do not.

But I'm not about to keep a breathalyzer behind the bench and test every witness's level of intoxication.

The jury, disregard Mr.

Berry's testimony, and it's stricken from the record.

Hey, so that's your star witness?

He's gonna get away with what he did to our son, isn't he?

This is far from over.

Why don't the two of you go and grab a cup of coffee just down the hallway and I'll...

I'll join you in a minute.

That was amazing.

You know, they're right.

Without this prior bad acts evidence, the case never goes to the jury.

[SIGHS]

- Hey!

- Let's go.

- Hey!

- Let's go.

You remember me?

Huh?

You remember me?

Back off, Liv!

You know what?

How many?

How many, assh*le!

Hey!

Hey!

How many souls can you ruin in one lifetime?

- Get ahold of yourself.

- Get your hands off me!

Stop now.

Walk away, now.

Brian.

Did you set up this little reunion?

What are you doing here?

What are you doing here?

How's Leo?

The judge just threw out his testimony.

What?

Dolan is gonna walk away.

Listen to me.

You really wanna hurt this guy, Brian?

You really wanna make him pay for what he did?

Get on the stand.

Testify.

That's how you can make him pay for what he did.

And what happens if they throw my testimony out...

It doesn't matter, Brian.

This isn't about Micah, this isn't about all the other guys.

This is about you.

Confronting him, facing your demons.

Brian.

Come here.

It's time to forgive that little boy in the picture.

The one that just...

just wanted his dad to see him.

Yeah.

If he was here, right?

And if he was he'd be so proud of you.

Like I am.

You've come so far.

I know that you can do this.

I know you can.

All right.

Detective Cassidy.

Please tell the jury why you're here today.

[CLEARS THROAT]

I'm here because I was a victim of Gary Dolan.

Detective Cassidy, please raise your head and speak up.

[CLEARS THROAT]

I was a victim.

Of Gary Dolan's.

He was, um...

He was my coach.

In Hudson youth league in .

And he sexually...

assaulted me.

When I was years old.