09x05 - Harm

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". Aired: September 1999 to present.*

Moderators: Trialia, Sarah Elseify

Watch/Buy Amazon  Merchandise


"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" follows the detectives of New York City Police Department's Manhattan Special Victims Unit, based out of the 16th precinct, as they investigate s℮xually based offenses.
Post Reply

09x05 - Harm

Post by 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.

Somebody, help me!

Anybody, help me!

Excuse me.

What you got?

White female. Mid-twenties.

Jogger found the body.

Called it in.

How'd she die?

Single s*ab wound to the chest.

Blouse was torn, Panties pulled down.

Warner's running a r*pe kit.

Any ID?

CSU found this library card.

Kate Simes.

311 West End Ave.

She's pretty far from home.

We know when she d*ed?

Blood on the ground is completely dry.

So I'd say she's been here since midnight.

But rigor puts time of death in the last three hours.

She's lying here alone at night bleeding out?

Kn*fe probably hit the left ventricle.

Hemorrhage can be surprisingly slow.

She could've been saved.

I wouldn't get too close.

What's that?

Some kind of lesion.

Is it contagious?

I'll let you know as soon as I figure out what the hell it is.

¾Æ´ã ºñġ

Law & Order: SVU
9x05. Harm

Original air date: 2007/10/23

Mrs. Simes.

Is this your daughter?

My daughter. My God.

Mrs. Simes?

No. No... what was she thinking?

She knows that...

That... park's dangerous at night.

Do you have any idea where she was coming from?

At that hour?

I have... I have no idea.

It would help if we had a recent photo.

Mrs. Simes.

Kate had a lesion on her forearm.

I didn't notice.

She didn't say anything.

She cut her hair recently?

She said she wanted a change.

Cutting it off and dyeing it is pretty drastic.

Was anyone giving Kate trouble?

Ex-boyfriend maybe?

No.

One of her students, Jackie Solomon.

Kate was a teacher.

College counselor at the Heller School.

The girl's father made a scene.

He... he all but att*cked Kate.

And then we started getting hang-up calls every night.

The student. Jackie Solomon, what exactly did she do?

¢Ü Come on, Mr. t*rror1st ¢Ü

¢Ü Show me you're a man ¢Ü

¢Ü Slap me around like your good book says you can ¢Ü

¢Ü Or maybe you're just too much of a ditz ¢Ü

¢Ü Is that the real reason you blew yourself to bits? ¢Ü

¢Ü Come on, Mr. t*rror1st ¢Ü

¢Ü Show me you're a man ¢Ü

That's pretty offensive.

Kate Simes certainly thought so.

You don't?

I found it incredibly offensive.

But as headmistress, I'm in a delicate position.

Wouldn't want to offend a big contributor by calling his daughter a r*cist.

Jackie Solomon lost an aunt on 9/11.

And that excuses this garbage?

No.

Which is why I didn't stop Miss Simes from sending letters to the colleges Jackie's applying to.

Sounds like those letters stressed out her father.

He's a parent.

His reaction struck me as normal in light of what's at stake.

Threats and hang-up calls sound normal to you?

Sure I was extreme.

But do you have any idea how much money I've donated to the Heller School?

What about my right to exercise free speech?

That bitch tried to t*nk my college applications.

Shut up. Jackie.

If you hadn't made that damn video in the first place...

Did you know that the Koran says that men can verbally abuse their wives and b*at them?

Yeah. And the Bible says men shouldn't let women teach or talk back to them.

Believe me.

We know all about it.

The headmistress stuck us with mandatory evening classes at the New York Tolerance Center.

You must be their star pupils.

I told you threatening Miss Simes was a bad idea.

Put a lid on it.

A half a million bucks to get her into the lvy League.

And this is what I get?

You'd be pissed too.

Might even make a few threats.

Might even do more than that.

Are you kidding?

He doesn't have the guts to k*ll anyone.

My daughter has a mouth, but she's right.

Call the Tolerance Center.

I've got a Rabbi, an lmam, and a catholic priest who can vouch for my whereabouts.

Warner's got something.

Office of the Medical Examiner Tuesday, October 9

Any luck with the r*pe kit?

No fluids.

No evidence of penetration.

But I ID'ed your lesion.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis.

It's a parasite.

Where'd she get that?

Interesting question.

Leishmaniasis is carried by the female sand fly.

We have sand flies in the city now?

Don't worry. In the entire country, there are maybe 50 cases a year, and most of those are contracted abroad.

Her mother didn't mention a trip.

Incubation's two to four weeks.

I'm betting Kate was out of the country sometime in the last month.

Any idea where?

We used to see leishmaniasis in Americans who traveled to Peru or Brazil.

But in the past few years.

The highest incidence has been in the Middle East.

We pulled Kate's financial records.

Did Kate buy a plane ticket?

No flights on her credit cards.

But she did make a large withdrawal from her savings account three weeks ago.

Why pay cash for a ticket?

You still need ID to fly.

Her mother paid for the credit card bill.

Maybe Kate didn't want her to know where she was going.

She definitely didn't want her school to know.

I just talked to the headmistress.

Kate took off three weeks ago.

Said she had a family funeral in Kansas.

Doubt she ran into any sand flies there.

Can we even confirm she left the country?

Funny you should ask.

I called port authority.

And much to my Orwellian delight.

They had no problem sending us the videos from the JFK surveillance cameras.

This is terminal 4.

There's our girl Kate going through baggage security check.

That's all international flights.

Any clue where she's going?

I put in a request to all international airlines.

They said it would take a little time.

I've got a friend at the joint terrorism task force.

He'll be able to help us out.

Flight 227, JFK to lstanbul, September 17th.

She flew to Turkey.

I checked with customs in lstanbul to make sure she took the flight.

Security cameras across the globe.

Munch'll never leave his house again.

You got lucky.

Turkey is one of our few friends in that part of the world.

How friendly are they?

Enough to help us track Kate's flight to Diyarbakir on the 18th.

Of course, spotting her was a little more difficult.

That's where she cut and dyed her hair.

Could she have been hiding from someone?

Maybe she just wanted to fit in.

Like one of our undercover agents.

If Kate was an agent in Diyarbakir, then where did she catch the Leishmaniasis?

Because according to Warner's charts.

It's not prevalent Turkey.

How about lraq?

That's Kate?

At the Silopi-Zakho border crossing.

Turkish authorities notify you when a US citizen enters lraq?

No, but the lraqis do.

A 25-year-old woman with no clear ties to the Arab community didn't set off alarm bells at the time.

But it's obviously piqued my curiosity now.

I don't understand.

What was she doing in the middle east?

You must have known she was out of town.

She told me she was rebuilding homes in New Orleans.

Mrs. Simes.

Can you think of any reason why Kate would go to lraq?

She studied Arabic in college.

Arabic speakers are at a premium these days.

You think she could have been recruited by the government?

How would she have had the time?

Between her job and the volunteer work that she was doing at the refugee center...

What refugee center?

WOMEN'S REFUGEE COALITION CENTER

276 WEST 74TH STREET WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10

We work with refugees seeking Asylum.

Kate used her Arabic to translate for us.

She work with anyone from lraq?

Of course she did.

We're a refugee center.

Over two million lraqis have fled the country.

Our government has granted Asylum to fewer than a thousand.

Okay, well, Miss, we need to see Kate's flies.

So you can harass her clients?

So we can find her k*ller.

And after the work she did here.

We'd think you'd want to help.

She kept everything on her computer.

There was a break-in two nights ago.

And it was stolen.

She back up the files?

Every day.

She kept the flash drive in her bag.

We found her bag, and there was no drive in it.

Anything else stolen in the burglary?

No.

Was Kate in some kind of trouble?

Apparently.

Did you notice anything unusual on Monday?

Some guy called half dozen times.

Desperate to talk to her.

He leave a number?

No.

This is detective Stabler.

I need you to dump all incoming calls to the Women's Refugee Coalition on Monday morning.

We'd like to speak with Haroun Abbas about a call he made to the Women's Refugee Center.

I am his wife.

Haroun is dead.

I'm so sorry when did he die?

Monday night.

He was driving his cab.

They say he had a heart att*ck.

Who's they?

My Haroun did not die of a heart att*ck.

He was m*rder*d by your government.

Mrs. Abbas. Why would the government m*rder your husband?

I don't know. Why would they t*rture him in lraq prison camp?

He was tortured?

For two years.

We risked our lives to support your country in the first Gulf w*r.

That's why they gave us Asylum.

Then on 9/11 everything changed.

My Haroun was a taxi driver.

But they treated him like a t*rror1st.

They... they handcuffed him.

And they took him away.

He lost 50 pounds in that camp.

They broke his body and... they crushed his soul.

He was never the same.

This was taken in New York.

How did he get back here?

We had friends.

They helped me get him across the border.

Was she one of your friends?

I've never seen her in my life.

Did Haroun mention anything out of the ordinary on Monday before work?

He was... nervous.

He... he said he'd be home late.

That he had to meet someone.

Could've been Kate.

I though when I got him back.

We could start over.

But they found him.

And they k*lled him.

They k*lled him all right.

I don't see any scars.

That's the idea.

No permanent physical or psychological harm.

It's what the m*llitary calls "t*rture Lite."

Solitary.

Sleep deprivation.

And stress positions and ice baths.

Things that don't leave conspicuous scars.

The key word being conspicuous.

Haroun Abbas has ligature marks on his wrists.

Two torn rotator cuffs.

And advanced congestive heart failure.

All the tread marks of m*llitary stress position treatment.

And you think this is related to the heart att*ck that k*lled him.

A few of the wrist marks were fresh.

On a hunch.

I checked his stomach.

Wischnewski's ulcers.

Telltale sign of hypothermia.

Temperatures have been in the 60s all week.

You thinking somebody put him in an ice bath?

A long one.

With the shape his heart was in.

The stress would have k*lled him.

Benson.

You have any idea how these two are connected?

Women's refugee Coalition had no record on Abbas.

And when we talked to his wife.

She didn't recognize Kate's photo.

Could have been lovers.

Or t*rrorists?

That was fin.

CSU tracked down Abbas's cab and found a business card for a Dr. Kelly Alvin at the Mercy Hospital Clinic for survivors of t*rture.

My name is Haroun Abbas.

I was...

I was tortured by the US government.

I conducted the intake interview.

I can't believe they're both dead.

Had Kate worked here long?

No.

She was recommended to us by the Women's Refugee Coalition.

Haroun was the first patient she worked with.

His story was awful.

They questioned him for over 20 hours a day.

Forced him to stand naked in front of female soldiers.

They led him around on a leash.

Kate wanted to do something about it.

They got very close.

She spent a lot of time helping him with his journal.

He kept a journal?

Victims often find writing down their experiences therapeutic.

Kate wanted him to go public with it.

That've made for one expl*sive little book.

She talked about flying to Baghdad to verify his story.

Do you have a copy of that journal?

Kate was typing it up on her computer at the Women's Refugee Coalition.

Explains the break-in.

Doctor Alvin, did Haroun ever mention anyone that may have wanted to keep his story quiet?

He did. Actually.

At the time I chalked it up to PTSD.

But...

What made you come to our clinic?

I was grabbing coffee yesterday morning.

A diner on the West side.

I was grabbing coffee.

He says he saw his torturer.

300 diners on the West side.

It's a hell of a lot to canvass.

Not really.

He's psychic now?

New York cabbies come from 80 odd countries.

And they hang with their own.

The Bangladeshis chow at Mo's on church.

And you'll find the Haitians in the coffee shops on Ave. C.

And the Shiites hang in Morningside heights.

Exactly.

What are you?

The zagats of 24-hour diners?

When you don't sleep. You gotta know where to find a good poached egg at 3:00am.

Eight or nine place in Morningside heights.

Divide and conquer.

Recognize this man?

Never seen him before.

You sure?

We get a lot of guys who look like that.

He was probably a regular.

I'm not sure.

He had his morning coffee here.

Oh, yeah.

I know that guy.

He was a cabbie.

He used to come in all the time.

Then one morning I look over.

He's as white as a sheet.

He was staring at someone.

Yeah. This couple.

I ask him what's wrong.

He boots all over my counter.

He puked.

I'm telling you.

Shakes, sweats. The whole bit.

Lady he's staring at says she's a doctor.

Offers to help.

But then her husband comes up.

Real nervous like, pulls her away.

Cabbie say anything?

He bolted.

Stiffed me on a check and left me a big freaking mess.

Any chance that he used a credit card?

Yeah, I'll get the receipts.

Abbas spots his torturer here.

The guy figures out that he's been IDed.

He gets nervous.

And he follows them.

Then he sees Abbas working with Kate.

The guy finds out she's a bleeding heart.

He doesn't want his name in the papers.

So he pulls Abbas out of the cab.

He tortures him.

And he tells him to keep his mouth shut.

But Abbas kicks.

So now our guy is doubly screwed.

So he dumps Abbas in his cab.

Takes care of Kate.

Makes it look like a r*pe.

You really think this guy is gonna k*ll two people to cover up his use of stress positions in lraq?

Maybe you'll get the chance to ask him yourself.

10:15, August 2nd.

Faith Sutton, MD.

Two breakfasts for 12 bucks.

SAINT BERNADETTE'S HOSTPITAL

356 WEST 120TH STREET WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10

Dr. Sutton.

How can I help you?

Detective Benson.

This is Detective Stabler.

Do you recognize this man?

Was he a psych patient here?

No. He was at Manny's on the morning of August 2nd.

So were you.

Hot porridge with raisins.

They make a mean oatmeal too.

It's right down the street.

I was the one in the white coat.

He vomited all over the counter.

You offered to help.

But your husband pulled you away.

That wasn't my husband.

Who was it?

George Tomforde.

He's an old army buddy.

He was in from Jersey.

We had breakfast.

Why?

Tomforde's a former soldier.

Seemed like a nice guy.

You know him?

Ah, one of his kids is on the baseball team with my Johnny.

What the hell?

He mention he was moving?

No.

Nobody saw Tomforde take off?

A couple across the street heard a truck pull up in the middle of the night.

The rest of the neighbors couldn't even believe the Tomforde had moved.

Apparently the guy had some experience with subterfuge.

Army says he was special forces.

Awarded the purple heart and a Bronze star in Desert storm.

Did he go back to lraq in '03?

Left the army in '98.

Gave them a forwarding address in London.

Where he got his paycheck.

IRS has him as an employee of Helios Defense lndustries.

A London-based corporation.

Helios is a British Mercenary outfit.

A security and risk management company with offices in Uganda, Bahrain. Afghanistan, And lraq.

Training local forces.

Site security.

Geopolitical intelligence.

Sounds like detention and interrogation are right up their alley.

It says they hold the Pentagon's largest m*llitary contract in lraq.

Half a billion dollars to maim and k*ll.

And half a billion reasons why Helios couldn't let Abbas' memoir get out.

Helios sics Tomforde on Abbas to keep him from talking.

He works Abbas over.

Finds out about Kate's book.

But he pushes too hard.

And Abbas croaks.

Helios needs to keep Kate quiet.

So Tomforde kills her too.

Then Helios whisks Tomforde out of the country.

Problem solved.

Does Helios have a New York office?

I'll look them up.

Run by Jack Rexton.

President of US operations.

60 private m*llitary firms are in Iraq.
Are you sure Mr. Abbas was in one of our camps?

You tell us.

Everyone hates a mercenary.

But where would your overextended government be without companies like ours?

We provide soldiers.

Guards, police.

All conveniently outside the m*llitary chain of command.

Detective, this firm prides itself on its compliance with both domestic and international law.

From the looks of Abbas's autopsy.

Mr. Tomforde needs a refresher.

We obviously don't condone m*rder.

If Mr. Tomforde has taken matters into his own hands.

This company will do all in its power to see he's held accountable.

You can start by handing over his file.

Well, that's a bit irregular.

It's a matter of national security.

But we certainly have no interest in protecting a rogue criminal agent.

No wonder Rexton wants to distance himself from this guy.

There's gotta be ten letters of reprimand in there.

For prisoner abuse.

Use of excessive force.

Abuse of authority.

Threatening prisoners with r*pe and m*rder.

What? As an interrogator?

He was a behavioral science consultant.

Even though the guy has no training in behavioral science.

Hold on.

Maybe Helios figured they had it covered with the shrink, Dr. Sutton...

Tomforde's oatmeal and raisins pal.

She's listed as a member of Tomforde's interrogation team in Mosul.

I said George was an old army buddy.

I wasn't trying to hide anything.

And what about your work for Helios?

Right here.

I oversaw the design and implementation of various interrogation plans.

Why would I wanna hide that?

Nobody likes to be called a torturer in public.

We used stressors tailored to psychological vulnerabilities to help us gather information.

I'd hardly call that t*rture.

Oh. Right. No long-term physical or psychological harm.

That's correct.

Except maybe... in the case of Haroun Abbas?

That's the fella from Manny's.

You're saying we interrogated him in Mosul?

You don't recognize him. Huh?

I've overseen a lot of interrogations.

Any in New York?

Pardon me?

Why don't we cut the carp?

Abbas recognized you and Tomfored at that diner.

He and Kate Simes were working on a tell-all book.

Honestly.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Well, I'm talking about you being compared to Josef Mengele on the front page of the New York Times.

Mengele?

Mengele was a monster.

My work in lraq was lawful, humane, and vital to the intelligence efforts of the US government.

I've got nothing to hide.

I guess she didn't take the same oath we did.

It doesn't sound like she was directly involved in any t*rture.

Not directly involved?

Why are you defending her?

Sutton is a respected psychiatrist.

I've heard her speak on combat-related PTSD.

Well, the problem is, she isn't treating it.

She's causing it.

So much for 2500 years of, "First do no harm."

That's kind of black and white.

I didn't know the Hippocratic oath was written in shades of gray.

When I use my psychiatric skills to trick a perp.

I'm hardly doing no harm. but I am serving the greater good.

Haroun Abbas's autopsy report.

Maybe you should take a look at what Dr. Sutton's greater good did to him.

I was lecturing in DC I had nothing to do with what happened to Abbas.

You had plenty to do with training George Tomforde.

George can be rash.

But I'd say he's too level-headed for m*rder.

Level-headed enough to k*ll Kate Simes with one jab to the heart?

Did he learn that in the service.

Or did you teach him anatomy as well?

That's enough, detective.

Interview's over.

I have no problem answering questions.

Don't say another word.

I'm sorry, we...

I'm your lawyer.

I didn't realize I needed one.

I'm sure you don't.

But unless detectives Benson and Stabler want to pay your lecture fee, I don't think they should get the show for free.

I guess it's no surprise to see Matt Braden representing the good doctor.

Oh, now don't get all holier than thou on me, detective.

Positioning yourself between my client and the door.

Putting her in the chair with the one short leg.

The one that rocks back and forth.

So she can't get comfortable.

Maybe you should pay for Dr. Sutton's seminar after all.

For someone with an alibi, she got herself an expensive lawyer.

Did you see her reaction?

She was as surprised to see Braden as we were.

So who hired him?

I put my money on Helios.

We ran Tomforde's corporate card.

Helios bought first class plane tickets for the whole Tomforde family.

Where to?

Bahrain.

Yesterday morning.

Well, that's convenient.

We don't have an extradition treaty with Bahrain.

But Helios has an office there.

Jack Rexton was blowing smoke up our ass while arranging to get Tomforde out of the country.

So let's pull Rexton in as an accessory.

I don't think it'll be much use.

Helios is a foreign corporation.

The us attorney will assert jurisdiction.

Given the inflammatory nature of t*rture and the lack of hard evidence tying Helios to either m*rder...

The Feds'll bury it.

So we have two dead bodies.

And you're saying there's nothing we can do?

I will call the Bahrainian embassy.

I just think we're gonna have a tough time trying to bring Helios or Tomforde to trial.

What about Sutton?

She didn't k*ll Kate or Abbas.

Might as well have.

Melinda.

That woman's interrogation methods led to Abbas's death.

And God knows how many others.

We can't arrest Sutton for something that happened in lraq.

No, but Abbas d*ed in New York.

If a reasonable doctor could have foreseen that her methods would lead to heart failure. Heart att*ck, death...

There's a case for criminally negligent homicide.

And you really think a jury will hold Sutton responsible?

She taught a loose cannon like Tomforde how to t*rture a man to death.

That not enough for you?

Someone should be held responsible.

It's what Kate Simes would have wanted.

And what Haroun Abbas deserves.

Counselor?

It's a stretch.

No. It isn't.

After 9/11, m*llitary doctors started using prisoners' medical records to target physical and emotional weaknesses.

Dr. Sutton was one of those doctors?

Her brand of t*rture lite has been practiced by doctors in lndonesia, Honduras.

The Philippines.

I thought you should hear from a few people who have experienced her methods first-hand.

They Turned off the heat... blasted me with air conditioning The doctor said I was in danger.

The doctors, they hooked me up to an I.V.

They ran water into my boby...

I was strapped to a table, I couldn't move.

I had to pee myself.

I couldn't breathe...

Every two hours a doctor would check my pulse.

I begged him to remove the hood.

I'm a Muslim.

They starved me.

They fed me pork.

They stripped me naked.

Tied my wrists behind my back and put a bag over my head.

I have nightmares.

I have pain.

The doctors said...

I'll be on oxygen... for the rest of my life.

I'm afraid to go to my doctor.

Detectives.

How nice to see you again.

I'd be happy to answer your questions.

But as you can see. I do have...

We're not here to ask questions.

Excuse me.

Dr. Faith Sutton.

You're under arrest for criminally negligent homicide.

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.

If you cannot afford one.

One will be appointed to you.

People of the state of New York vs. Faith Sutton. Docket ending 4288.

One count, criminally negligent homicide.

How does the defendant plead?

Not guilty, Your Honor.

I'll hear the people on bail.

$500.000, Your Honor.

On an E-class felony?

The DA apprised me of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Tomforde's relocation.

I'd like to make sure Dr. Sutton doesn't follow suit.

The bail will be set at half a million dollars.

My client will post bond tonight so she can get back to the business of saving lives.

And given that she's doing God's work.

I hope this is the last time we'll force her to set foot in this courtroom.

What is this?

Motion to dismiss on jurisdictional grounds.

We have jurisdiction.

Haroun Abbas was k*lled in New York.

Not according to your brief.

The prosecution claims Haroun Abbas was k*lled as a direct result of Dr. Sutton's criminal negligence in lraq.

If my client's action were legal where the alleged negligence occurred.

The prosecution does not have jurisdiction.

You're arguing that t*rture's legal in lraq?

It's not t*rture.

Dr. Sutton's benign method of interrogation was implemented in lraq, where it is indeed legal.

Not according to the Geneva conventions.

In Hamden Versus Rumsfeld.

The Supreme court said that violating the conventions is a federal crime.

Yes, but according to a 2002 executive order.

Counter-resistance methods are not criminal unless they brought about the pain the equivalent of severe impairment of bodily functions or prolonged mental illness.

So unless Ms. Novak intends to indict the secretary of defense...

Don't tempt me.

Executive orders have the force of law.

Your Honor, the question of legality in lraq is irrelevant.

Now, Dr. Sutton conceived of her interrogation method in New York.

She was hired by Helios in New York.

And after traveling to lraq, she returned to New York.

While still in the employ of Helios.

It's continuous jurisdiction.

I'll take it under advisement.

It is amazing how well you handle those steps.

Excuse me?

Yeah, on that high horse you're riding.

You read the papers?

Support for the US presence in lraq dropped 50% after the Abu Ghraib pictures went public.

Tell me, what would you do if you had five minutes to stop a su1c1de bomber from k*lling 20 marines.

Or 10 innocent civilians.

Or one little girl?

Who's this?

Elizabeth Ross.

Elizabeth was buried alive in a construction pit in Brooklyn back when I was a cop.

We had a suspect.

I knew in my gut the guy did it.

But we went at him 48 hours, couldn't break him.

I told my partner to leave.

I broke the bastard's arm in three places.

He confessed.

When we found Elizabeth, she was dehydrated.

She barely had a pulse.

But she was alive.

That how you got bounced off the force?

His confession was thrown out.

The guy walked.

But Elizabeth's going to law school now.

Wants to be a prosecutor.

You're gonna tell me the ends don't justify the means?

What if you were wrong?

I wasn't.

Matt Braden.

Thank you.

Preston bought your continuous jurisdiction argument.

I guess we'll be continuing this discussion in court.

TRIAL PART 22

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16

They made me take my clothes off.

Then they... they put me outside.

It's okay. Go on.

Every hour they would douse me in cold water... ice water.

And thr*aten to release the dogs.

Dr. Warner, can you tell us how Haroun Abbas d*ed?

From a hypothermically induced cardiac arrhythmia.

Secondary to heart disease.

Have you reviewed Mr. Abbas's medical records?

I have.

Did Mr. Abbas have a history of heart disease prior to his detention?

No. He did not.

Thank you, Dr. Warner.

Dr. Warner.

Can you say definitively that my client's interrogation practices caused Mr. Abbas's death?

Haroun Abbas's heart condition and death were consistent with the kind of stress-induced heart disease.

Simple yes or no. Please.

I think a physician might expect Dr. Sutton's interrogation methods to lead to death.

Dr. Warner, can you say definitively that Dr. Sutton's interrogation practices caused Haroun Abbas's death?

Yes or no?

No.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

I'm a board-certified psychiatrist.

I'd been teaching resistance training for years at Fort Bragg.

When the army contacted me just after 9/11.

I've been helping this country interrogate suspected t*rrorists ever since.

Do you recognize this man?

Abdul Murad.

We questioned him in Mosul.

He turned out to be the leader of an Anti-American Shiite Militia.

Was the interrogation successful?

Yes, the information he supplied allowed our government to track down a major munitions dump north of Baghdad.

Did you interrogate any prisoners associated with Mr. Murad during your time in lraq?

Not personally.

But Helios questioned his cousin shortly after I left the country.

His cousin?

Haroun Abbas.

Order.

Dr. Sutton, did any of your interrogation plans involve beatings?

No.

Electric shock?

No.

What about water boarding?

Nothing that would cause physical harm.

So you obtained lifesaving information without causing any harm.

Objection.

I'll rephrase.

Lifesaving information without causing long-term physical or psychological damage.

Yes. All the interrogation, I oversaw were ultimately benign.

That's why a physician is involved.

To stop things from getting out of hand.

Your witness.

So doctors stop things from getting out of hand.

There were doctors involved with the interrogations at Abu Ghraib.

Would you say things there got out of hand?

Objection, Your Honor.

Dr. Sutton said doctors keep things under control.

A fact suggested interrogators can become more aggressive when they can rely on doctors to set limits.

That may be true. Ms. Novak, but unless you have evidence of Dr. Sutton's specific involvement in the events at Abu Ghraib.

I suggest you move on.

Dr. Sutton.

Could you please tell the jurors what they're looking at in this picture.

It's a stress position known as Qas'at al tawilah.

This is part of your benign interrogation method?

Yes.

The hood, what's that for?

It's placed over the prisoner's head to disorient him.

You use an air conditioner to drop the body's temperature.

No more than five degrees.

How long is a prisoner kept in that position?

It depends.

How long, Dr. Sutton?

24 to 48 hours.

You've never seen this lead to physical harm?

No.

How much medical follow-up have you done?

That's left to the camp physicians.

You have no idea that a stress position could tear a rotator cuff?

You had no clue that a long ice bath might lead to a coronary?

A fifth of the detainees that d*ed of natural causes in US custody d*ed of heart att*cks.

Many of them young men with no history of heart disease.

And yet. You.

A successful medical professional.

Had no suspicion that your methods might lead to death?

Or didn't you care?

Ms. Novak, let me ask you a question.

How would you protect our country?

I have a son in lraq.

How would you protect him?

Your Honor...

No! You answer me!

Intelligence gathering is one of the few weapons we have in the w*r on terror.

Your Honor...

Maybe the only way to fight an enemy we can't see.

You think asking nicely is gonna get them to tell us when they plan to fly the next set of planes into our buildings?

Dr. Sutton, that's enough!

Oh, my God!

Somebody help.

Jack. Jack.

He's not breathing.

Is there a portable defibrillator?

I'll get it.

I'll give you a hand.

I need a bus.

New York country courthouse.

60 Center Street.

Please hurry.

One, two, three.

Four, and five.

And two, three, four and five.

One, two, three, four, and five.

Doc resuscitates juror DA'S CASE DOA?

Doc resuscitates juror DA'S CASE DOA?

So much for the terrible swift sword.

We've publicized the issue.

Kate Simes got more ink than she ever could have imagined.

She would have been pleased.

A long happy life would have pleased her too.

Same goes for Haroun Abbas.

Are you gonna ask for a new trial?

Now, that'd be a waste of time.

Why?

Are you here to discuss a plea?

The jury was irrevocably split.

I polled them.

You were never gonna win this one.

Even before my client became a front-page hero.

Sutton's no hero.

What, detective?

You don't approve?

Your whole job is predicated on coercion.

You're gonna tell me you never laid a hand on a prisoner?

I have.

Nine times out of ten.

It's counterproductive.

I'm certainly not proud of it.

Well, not sweet.

Of course, some of us don't have time for regret.

We're too busy protecting lives.

I think you mean destroying them.

Fortunately, it doesn't look like Dr. Sutton will be doing much of that anymore.

I've contacted the state board for professional misconduct.

They've decided to review he status of Dr. Sutton's medical license.

NEW YORK STATE MEDICAL BOARD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19

I have hundreds of patients here in New York City.

For 20 years, I have devoted my life to improving their health and welfare.

But a medical degree is not a sacred vow.

It's a certification of skill.

After 9/11. I realized my skill could serve this community in other ways.

And you didn't see a conflict between your responsibilities as a physician and your medical role in Baghdad?

I had no doctor-patient relationship with the detainees.

In lraq, I was simply a scientific consultant.

Traditional medical ethics don't apply.

So, Dr. Sutton.

Ethically speaking.

You're asking us to believe that what happens in lraq stays in lraq.

Is that right?

Are you pleased, Dr. Warner?

After all. Even a temporary suspension can ruin a career.

I wouldn't say pleased.

So you really feel no remorse?

This country's at w*r.

I've got skills to contribute to that fight.

You really want me not to use them?

You took an oath.

You don't get to take a time-out because we're at w*r.

Because it's difficult to uphold.

The oath was written for times like these.
Post Reply