23x09 - People vs Richard Wheatley

[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.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

You took my wife from me.

Elliot.

I wrote this.
Just read it.

Your boss ordered a hit,

k*lling my wife.

I want to talk.
I need protection.

- What is this?
- It's just precautionary, Izak.

Liv, you mean the world to me.

I am not gonna allow these emotions

to derail me from my mission.

Angela Wheatley is luck to be alive.

Does your doctor think you'll
be well enough to testify?

- Ah!
- Look what I found.

Olivia Benson.

Elliot, now I understand.
She's a knockout.

Get him out of here.

Hey.

- Thanks for coming, Olivia.
- Ah.

How you all doing?

We're okay.

And... and I'm really
getting through things.

Good.

Ah, you shaved.

It's nice to see your face.

It was time.

Happy belated birthday, Mom.

We love you.

We miss you.

Every single day.

[SENTIMENTAL MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Italian for lunch?

Kathy's favorite.

- Sounds perfect.
- ELI: Actually, Dad,

I was gonna go meet Sara.
Is that okay?

You got a date now?

She's not a date.
She's my study partner.

All right, well, check in, text.

Okay.

Good.

- Show him you trust him.
- Trust, but verify.

I got a tracking app on his cell.

- I can't hear this.
- And security cameras at home.

We'll meet you guys.

God, Eli's growing up fast.

Last nine months have been a blur.

Until Wheatley goes to trial,
there's no closure.

Carisi said that Wheatley's
out of postponements.

The clock is ticking.

Make it tick faster.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

Mr. Baptiste, Mr. Carisi,

I'm denying People's motion

for this evidence
to be admitted at trial.

Your Honor, Izak Bekher

was Richard Wheatley's right-hand man,

his bodyguard, his head of security,

the architect of the b*mb
that k*lled Kathy Stabler.

His taped confession is crucial
to the state's case.

And inadmissible as hearsay,

as my predecessor admonished you

three months ago,

since Mr. Bekher isn't available,

for cross-examination.

Mr. Bekher can't make himself available

because he's presumed dead,

most likely at the hand
of Richard Wheatley.

The larger point remains,

the state has not
proved that my client,

by "v*olence, threats, or chicanery,"

caused Bekher to be unavailable.

I'm agreeing with you, Counselor.

Take yes for an answer.

- Motion denied.
- In that case,

we move to set an immediate trial date.

- Actually, that won't be possible.
- Excuse me?

I need time to find new representation.

I'm f*ring my lawyer.

- What?
- Sorry, Lisa,

you're fine for motions,
but you're not cut out for trial.

My right as a defendant,

if I understand that correctly?

Yes, that of course,
is your right, Mr. Wheatley.

You have one week.

♪ ♪

The long-anticipated trial
of Richard Wheatley

has been delayed once again.

Wheatley has changed lawyers
for the fourth time

since he's been accused
of the contract k*lling

of Kathy Stabler...

- How'd that go?
- Not good.

Change of lawyers.
We should've seen that coming.

And somehow they get Judge Ellery?

With what we had on that guy,
how is he still on the bench?

You have to ask?

Paranoia won't help us.

Angela Wheatley,
Wheatley's ex-wife,

is expected to take the stand,

after turning state's evidence
and implicating...

We'll need your help
prepping witnesses.

Wheatley's not going down easy.

This guy doesn't want to spend

one more minute of his life in jail.

I hope to work with you, Mr. Wheatley.

- We'll be in touch.
- All right.

Nice ass for Yale Law, but no.

Just one more, Mr. Wheatley.

Send him in.

Born in South Bronx,

full scholarship to Harvard.

- Impressive.
- And yet I'm here.

I've done well by hiring self-made men.

They know how to hustle,
and they work twice as hard.

The only thing that gets in their way,

they always have a chip.

What's yours?

I don't suffer fools,

especially as clients.

Why don't you tell me your side?

♪ ♪

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

- Angela, let me help you.
- No.

I need to do this myself.

Miss Wheatley, nice to see you again.

I'm sorry, uh.

We've met?

ADA Carisi.

I'm prosecuting your ex-husband.

Yes, of course.

[SIGHS]

You wanted to prep?

Yeah.

I don't need protective custody.

Nobody knows I'm gonna testify.

We're gonna have to inform
the defense before trial.

Right.

You're gonna have to tell my dad.

Well, if that's a problem,

you need to say something now.

After what he did to my grandfather...

My mother...

He's dead to me.

[TENSE MUSIC]

You've accepted my offer?

Whoever said crime doesn't
pay wasn't a lawyer.

So you see that I'm innocent?

I'm being framed for
a crime I didn't commit.

I see that there's ample
opportunity for reasonable doubt,

but we got a lot of work to do.

What do you want to know?

Anything you told Izak,
Angela, or Richie.

Anything they told you.

Rafael Barba.

- You know him, right?
- I do.

He's representing Wheatley.

- He good?
- Very.

Hey, Liv, Barba's here,

you want me to tell him to wait?

No.

Counselor.

- Rafael Barba.
- Elliot Stabler.

Oh, I'm sorry for your loss.

Are you?

Then why are you defending
the man who k*lled my wife?

Liv, I'll see you later.

♪ ♪

- Why are you doing this?
- Because it's wrong.

If the DA's office can
bring a case like this

against someone as wealthy as Wheatley,

then that gives them license to
railroad

any defendant at any time.

Richard Wheatley is guilty.

Then let the state prove it.
That's how this works.

Think about it,
RICO charges that they let slide.

, but they cherry-picked this one?

Why?
Because one PP pressured them?

I get that that's how you're
justifying this to yourself,

but I am asking you,

not to take this case.

Be careful what you wish for.

I step aside,
whatever shark Wheatley hires,

will put not just the NYPD

and Stabler on trial, but you...

You!

Not just your partnership with Stabler,

- but your relationship.
- No.

He should never have been allowed

anywhere near this investigation, Liv.

They'll eviscerate you on the stand.

- Maybe end your career.
- So which is it?

Are you protecting me?

Or is this your defense
attorney outrage?

- Or is this about Stabler?
- I don't know Stabler.

Maybe it's the first two out of three.

I know you're sure
that Wheatley is guilty.

- I am.
- That does not give the NYPD

the right to frame him.

Rafa.

♪ ♪

Day one of the long-awaited
trial of Richard Wheatley

for the contract k*lling

of an NYPD detective's wife.

Wheatley had been looking at
RICO charges of racketeering,

money laundering, and drug trafficking.

But those charges
were dismissed as a result

of his cooperation
with federal authorities.

Carisi, get any sleep?

Was up all night.
What about you guys?

- Same.
- I slept like a baby.

Hey, Liv, heads up,

Baptiste is gonna take your direct.

We'll both protect on Barba's crossing.

- I'm ready.
- All right, I'll see you inside.

Dominick...

- You look tired.
- Not me.

I slept like a baby.

Good...
You'll need it.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

♪ ♪

I arrived shortly
after the b*mb went off.

Um...

Kathy Stabler was badly injured

and being loaded into the ambulance.

Captain Benson, you're the head of SVU.

Why were you called
to the scene of a car b*mb?

Kathy was the wife of

my former partner,
Detective Elliot Stabler,

so he requested me.

So you knew the victim?

I did, but,

I hadn't seen her

or Detective Stabler in over a decade.

What happened next, Captain?

Detective Stabler rode
with Kathy to the hospital.

I met them there.

And as the jury has heard,

she d*ed from a ruptured
spleen a few days later.

A direct result of the
injuries that she sustained.

And SVU was part
of the initial investigation...

- Why?
- There was a lot

happening that night...

Protests in the neighborhood,

two other police vehicles were
hit with Molotov cocktails.

It was a...

All-hands-on-deck situation.

Was this car bombing in any way

- related to those other incidents?
- No...

We apprehended a suspect

for those other att*cks, but,

ruled him out for the car
b*mb that k*lled Kathy Stabler.

Thank you.

Captain Benson, good to see you.

As you just testified,
the night of the bombing,

you apprehended another suspect,

not my client, but a...

Mr. Jacob Peters.

Peters was arrested and charged

with the fire-bombings
of two police vans

three blocks away.

And didn't Mr. Peters also take credit

for bombing the Stabler vehicle?

He did, but...

We found that the
claims were not credible.

By "we," you mean you

and Detective Stabler,
the victim's husband.

You allowed him
to interrogate a suspect.

Detective Stabler was
under my direct supervision,

and I trusted his instinct.

At any point, were you concerned about

Detective Stabler losing his temper?

No, my take was that
his anger was for show.

Really?

I'm not sure I saw it that way.

Defense Exhibit A.

Sorry for your loss,

but there's a w*r going on,

and your wife bleeding out
on the sidewalk,

she's just another casualty.

Detective...

Were you concerned
about what might happen next?

Is that why you got
between him and the suspect?

- The situation was under control.
- Thanks to you.

In your long partnership
with Detective Stabler,

how many times has he received

command disciplines,

and IAB reviews for crossing
the line with a suspect?

It was all,

over ten years ago.

You were aware of his history.

In hindsight,
wouldn't it have been better, for you,

and the NYPD to follow protocol,

and recuse him from this investigation?

It was with Detective Stabler's help

that we were able
to arrest Richard Wheatley.

Does the NYPD condone vigilantism,

or only if the vigilante
is a member of the NYPD?

Withdrawn.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Nothing further.

Sergeant Bell,
how long was your task force

monitoring the actions
of Mr. Wheatley's

criminal organization?

For over a year.

We gathered surveillance
footage, audio recordings.

So what in your investigation

led you to suspect that
Richard Wheatley was involved

in Kathy Stabler's m*rder?

After we arrested Mr. Wheatley's

head of security, Izak Bekher,

a subpoena for his financials

turned up a credit card purchase

of a -inch swivel vise.

Did you ever find that device?

Yes, in his storage space.

The Arson and expl*si*n Squad

linked it to the b*mb
that k*lled Kathy Stabler.

Thank you, Sergeant.

Sergeant Bell, Izak Bekher
was ex-Mossad agent.

- Correct?
- Yes.

Does it strain credulity
that an ex-Mossad agent

with a multiple
encryption security system

would uh,

purchase a bombmaking device
with his own credit card

and then after making the b*mb,

keep the incriminating device
in his own storage unit?

That's what we found.

Who exactly found the
credit card purchase,

was it a detective in your unit,

- Jet Slootmaekers?
- Yes.

She's a highly skilled
cybersecurity expert.

Did your cybersecurity expert find any

connection between my client and, uh,

Izak Bekher's alleged bombmaking?

Mr. Wheatley is a
sophisticated criminal,

who knows how to evade detection.

Just like

his head of security.

Let me ask you this,
which is more likely,

that an ex-Mossad agent

sloppily left a trail of evidence

for the police to find,

or that the credit card purchase,
and the device,

were planted by someone in the NYPD

with a vendetta
against Richard Wheatley?

That's not what happened.

Sergeant Bell,
you were with Detective Stabler

when he arrested Izak Bekher.

Considering that Mr. Bekher's
face was smashed into a fence

and his shoulders dislocated,

would you say that Detective
Stabler used excessive force?

We had reason to believe
Mr. Bekher was armed,

so I would say no.

But he was not armed...

Was he?

Oh, by the way,
isn't your wife's family

currently suing the NYPD

for use of excessive force
against her nephew?

Objection. Relevance?

Mr. Barba?

Uh, I'm not sure
there is any, Your Honor.

I just appreciate the irony.

♪ ♪

[WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY]

Captain.

Thank you for meeting with me.

Do you have to be here?

Technically,
you shouldn't be meeting with someone

who's testified against you.

Yeah, I have to be here.

And I don't know why I'm here.

And I'm not gonna be here long,
so cut to the chase.

I heard about your crash.

And I wanted to tell you in person,
I can't imagine

how frightening that must have been.

And to give you my word,
I had absolutely nothing to do

with your car being run off the road.

Your word?

Like your word...

That you had nothing to do

with Kathy Stabler's death?

The jury's not even out yet.

I do somehow wish we had met
under different circumstances.

I don't.

But...

If you have something that
you want to confess to me...

I'll see you in court.

By the way, before you go,

the love of my life,

Angela, takes the stand tomorrow.

You might want to make sure

Stabler's children aren't there.

They probably don't want
to hear what she has to say.

And I guess neither do you.

Hey.

Hey.

I heard Barba was tough on you.

I'll live.

Angela Wheatley's testimony is up next.

Any reason I shouldn't be there?

Why would you ask me that?

I was warned.

By who?

Whatever happened between
you and Angela,

Wheatley knows.

Which means Barba knows,
and they're gonna use it.

Wheatley doesn't know anything.

He's just stirring up Barba,
and Barba's stirring you up.

You're not answering the question.

That's none of your business
or the court's.

The question is...

why are you really asking?

[TENSE MUSIC]

I wish I could trust you, Elliot.

Liv, what does that mean?

[SIGHS]

I know that you are carving your way

through a mountain of grief,

and I have tried to be here for you.

But this,

is a one-way street, Elliot.

You have not asked me one question,

about what has happened
to me since you left.

You show up at my house
in the middle of the night

when my son is there, asleep.

That was hard for me...

Scary.

And this letter.

Why did you give me that letter?

A letter that you didn't even write.

What was that about?

I'm not sure I know.

I guess I didn't know how to begin.

Well, that makes two of us.

♪ ♪

Last May, I was poisoned
with a nerve agent

that still affects my cognitive skills

and neurological functioning.

Have you been able
to return to your job

as a math professor at Columbia?

Not yet.

But my memory is clear,

and I am ready to testify today.

In your statement
to the police, you said

the defendant told you
that Detective Stabler

"gunned down" your son.

Yes.

I now know that Richard
was gaslighting me.

My husband...

Ex-husband k*lled my son.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

Jury must disregard.

Mr. Wheatley is not charged
in that crime.

After the defendant gaslit you,

what did he say next?

He asked if I wanted
the detective to die.

I said no.

I wanted him to suffer,

like I was suffering.

When I heard
about the car bombing, I...

I felt sick.

Thank you.

How you doing,
Miss Wheatley?

I know this is difficult, you need a...

- A break, some water?
- I'm fine, thank you.

Remember when you
first met Detective Stabler?

At that time, did you believe
that he'd k*lled your son?

Yes.

- You must have been angry at him.
- I was.

But at some point, those feelings,

changed to you felt sympathy for him?

Well, we-we shared a loss.

The loss you had engineered?

Forgive me. I'll rephrase.

At what point,

did you come to the
conclusion that Detective Stabler

had not, k*lled your son?

We grew close.

I realized he wasn't capable.

Close, how close?

We were...

I've heard it called "grief partners."

So there was nothing
between you two, romantically?

We both had feelings for each other.

Those feelings become physical?

You kissed Detective Stabler, correct?

Objection.
Relevance?

- Getting there, Your Honor.
- I'll allow.

Witness may answer.

[TENSE MUSIC]

We kissed once.

But, he left before
anything could go further.

Weren't you hoping that
things would go further?

Hadn't you agreed to a romantic dinner

with him that same night?

We wanted to get to know

- each other better.
- Yes,

but that dinner never happened
because Bekher

told Stabler that you

had ordered the hit on his wife?

- But I didn't.
- But Stabler believed him,

- and arrested you...
- Yes, but...

Who interrogated you after your arrest?

I...

I asked for Elliot,

'cause I wanted to tell him the truth.

The truth or you wanted to blame

Kathy Stabler's m*rder
on your ex-husband

so that the man that you were

having romantic feelings for

wouldn't know that you had
helped arrange

his wife's m*rder?

That's not how it happened.

That's... I... I can't think.

You didn't have feelings for him?

You weren't in love with him?

You are under oath, Professor Wheatley.

♪ ♪

Yes.

I was in love with him.

Are you still in love with him?

- Objection.
- Sustained.

I wish I wasn't.

I...

Didn't ask for any of that to happen.

No.

All you asked for was
for Elliot Stabler to suffer.

Withdrawn.

♪ ♪

The hell kind of soap opera
are you running?

Asking my ex-wife,

if she's still in love with him!

I got the jury to see,

that your co-conspirator
has a motive to lie.

There's got to be a dozen
other ways to do that

without making me look
like his g*dd*mn cuck!

Maybe, but as your reaction
proves, this one resonated.

I need a win,
your son's testifying next.

It's gonna be damning.

Richie?
[CHUCKLES]

I wouldn't worry about him.

The kid's wet the bed his whole life.

Richie, you're currently

awaiting trial on m*rder charges.

Did the state offer you any

consideration, for your testimony?

No, they did not.

Can you tell the jury

why you're testifying
against your own father?

Because he lied to me,

our family.

Look, he caused the deaths
of my grandfather,

my half-brother, and Gina.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

You've always blamed
everyone else, Richie.

Isn't it time you grow up?

Mr. Wheatley,
do not address the witness.

You don't want to do this, son.

Mr. Wheatley, that is enough.

Mr. Barba, please control your client.

Mr. Carisi,

the objection is sustained.

Of course, Your Honor.

I'll get right to the point.

Richie...

Hey, Richie, you with us?

Uh, yeah.

Tell the jury what you overheard

your father say to Izak Bekher.

Uh, yeah.
He...

Richie, do you...

Do you need a moment?

No.

No, I'm good.

I, um...

I don't recall what I heard.

[PEOPLE MURMURING]

What?

♪ ♪

Richie, I have here your
statement to the DA's office

saying that you overheard
your father, Richard Wheatley,

order Izak Bekher to arrange
the m*rder of Kathy Stabler.

I don't recall that.

You're under oath, Richie.

I lied.

I-I was angry with,

with my father,
and blamed him, like he said.

I-I-I don't recall hearing anything.

I didn't hear anything.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

Order!
Order!

♪ ♪

What the hell just happened?

The facility swears
that Richie was under guard,

that there was no breach in security.

They're lying, somebody got to him.

No, not somebody.
Wheatley.

Either way, it put us in a hole.

The good news is,
you're up next, Detective.

Barba's whole defense is
that you are out of control.

I need you calm,

and collected up there.

Okay, no problem.

Counselor,
there something on your mind?

Right now, there is no reason

for Richard Wheatley to take the stand.

He got in Richie's head, or worse.

Don't let him get into yours.

You know this guy.

Find a way to get into his.

Detective, this is painful, but,

can you tell the jury

what happened the night
your rental car was bombed?

We were late to an event.

I took a call, which I later
found out was spoofed.

I gave Kathy the keys.

She went to get the car.

There was an expl*si*n.

- But she survived the blast?
- She did.

I rode with her to Mercy Hospital.

She regained consciousness.

I told her I loved her.

But she d*ed, from her injuries,

on the operating
table a few days later.

Who was in charge of the
investigation into her death?

NYPD Intelligence Unit.

And how did you become involved?

I'd been investigating
Manfredi Sinatra,

Richard Wheatley's father,

through my work with the NYPD
liaison office in Rome.

I subsequently raided one
of his Brooklyn warehouses,

that Richard Wheatley operated.

What did you find there?

A copy of my international police ID.

I realized right then
I was being tracked.

And what led you to suspect

that Richard Wheatley was involved?

Richard Wheatley was the boss.

And in my experience,

the order to green-light a hit on
a police officer,

let alone his wife,

always comes from the top.

- Did you confront Wheatley?
- He confronted me.

He told me to leave his ex-wife alone,

that neither of our women
should be collateral damage.

To which I said, "Like my wife?"

And how did he respond?

He claimed he was sorry for my loss.

He did not,
deny responsibility for that loss.

Thank you, Detective.

Detective, let me say sincerely

how sorry I am for your loss.

My task here, today,

is to prove to this jury
that there is no proof

that my client was in any way
responsible for that loss.

I know Wheatley k*lled my wife.

I know that you believe that today,

but didn't you initially believe

that Izak Bekher was responsible?

As I said earlier,

the order comes from the top.

Izak Bekher was only acting
on his orders.

Didn't Bekher tell you
that actually he was acting

on Angela Wheatley's orders?

He did try to blame her, yes.

You subsequently arrested her,

so you must've believed that too?

I believed she had some involvement,

but I quickly realized that
Wheatley had manipulated her.

Yeah, she's testified to that,
but what's not clear

is whether she turned on her ex-husband

to get herself a better deal, or,

to keep herself
in your good graces, or both.

Objection.
Is there a question here?

Sustained.
Move it along, Mr. Barba.

And, Detective Stabler,

only answer the questions you're asked.

Detective Stabler, it seems to me,

like you're lurching
from one suspect to another

in a frantic attempt
to someone to accuse.

I am neither lurching nor frantic.

How often do you think about this case?

- Every week, every month?
- Every minute of every day.

- You're being treated for PTSD?
- I was.

- I am no longer.
- But you are familiar

with the acronym HALT?

Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired?

- I am.
- What about your family?

I'm sure
this has been stressful for them.

Leave my family out of this.

Just like you did, for the last
five months going undercover?

- Objection.
- Sustained; Mr. Barba?

I'm trying to ask the detective

if his PTSD, his trauma,

family problems, his work issues,

including watching a member of his unit

get sh*t by his sergeant...

If you're speaking
about Detective Morales,

his dying confession was

that he was paid $ ,

by Richard Wheatley

- to k*ll Angela Wheatley!
- Your Honor.

Detective Stabler, you've been warned.

Just answer the questions you're asked.

Jury will disregard.

Since you opened the door,

is there anything you don't
blame my client for?

He is to blame.
He had Izak Bekher k*lled.

He k*lled his own father.
He had my wife k*lled.

Move to strike, Your Honor!

Jury will disregard.
Watch yourself...

He had someone run
my former partner off the road.

Your Honor, will you stop him
or shall we wait for him

to accuse my client of
kidnapping the Lindbergh baby?

Detective Stabler, one more word,

I'm holding you in contempt.

How much is Wheatley paying you,
Judge?

That's it.

Detective Stabler,
I'm holding you in contempt.

Officers.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Thanks.
I owe you.

[TOILET FLUSHES]

Detective.

Well, isn't this awkward?

That was some performance back there.

Another minute,
you'd have been frothing at the mouth.

- So you were listening, huh?
- Everyone was.

I was surprised to
see Olivia in the gallery.

She didn't hear enough
after Angela's testimony?

You must have had
some mansplaining to do.

Well, Olivia,

knows a lot more about what went on

between me and Angela
than the jury does.

She's good like that.

Poor Ange.

She's a shell of her former herself.

Hasn't been the same
since her son d*ed.

That's not my experience with Angela.

Seems as if grief was a...

Powerful aphrodisiac.

[CHUCKLES]

She was playing you.

Yes, she was...

Over and over.

[CHUCKLES]

Look at you, all puffed out

with your Bayside High bravura.

When this is over...

She'll be right by my side.

Yeah, maybe so, but trust me,

she'll be thinking of me.

Let's go, fellas.

Court's back.

♪ ♪

Mr. Barba?

Since the state has
failed to make their case,

the defense at this time rests,
Your Honor.

Actually, I'd like to say a few words.

No, you wouldn't.
Your Honor...

If Mr. Wheatley is inclined
to take the stand,

we have no objection, Your Honor.

I appreciate that, Counselor.

Your Honor,
I need a moment with my client.

I don't need a moment.
I'd like to testify.

That's my constitutional right.

If my lawyer won't go along with that,

I'd like to request a
change in representation.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Mr. Barba?

Mr. Wheatley is the boss.

His call.

Mr. Wheatley,

can you tell the jury
why we ended up here?

I ask myself that question every day.

My sense is,

Detective Stabler
experienced a terrible tragedy,

and the NYPD, where the
blue line is still quite thick,

allowed him to run his
own rogue investigation

during which he somehow

fixated on implicating me, for a crime,

I did not commit.

- Why you?
- My guess,

he was in New York,

to testify against some
gentlemen from Puglia.

He conflated that investigation

with the death of his wife.

As the jury has seen, once that man

gets something in his head,
he's like a...

He's like a junkyard dog with a bone.

It's probably served
him well as a detective.

He'll grind his teeth to the nubs,

chewing through that bone,

and then swallow the shards.

Go on.

I say that empathically.

I too have suffered,

tremendous loss.

My father,

my adopted son.

My ex-wife poisoned.

My s...

My son,

rotting in a jail cell.

My whole family torn apart.

Elliot and I have that in common.

Thank you, Mr. Wheatley.

To be fair,

to Detective Stabler,

I am an obvious target.

My father, may he rest in
peace, was a career criminal.

But I'm a business man.

Not a m*rder*r.

To be clear, you had nothing to do,

with the m*rder of Kathy Stabler?

Not at all.

Nor did my ex-wife.

- Your ex-wife?
- Angela Wheatley.

It has been suggested,

that she conspired with Izak Bekher

to have Kathy Stabler k*lled.

Nothing,

could be further from the truth.

So what is the truth?

Despite the prosecution having

pressured her into
testifying against me,

by no stretch of the imagination

does that mean that either of us

set in motion a contract k*lling.

- That's ridiculous.
- So then who did?

Izak Bekher!

Of his own accord.

When I found out about it,

I confronted him.

I threatened to report him.

As a man with multiple passports

to multiple countries, he just...

Slipped into the wind.

That, uh...

that seems convenient,

implicating the one person

who can't be called to testify?

Occam's razor.

Simple truths often seem convenient.

Aren't you the boss, though?

I mean, how could an employee,

unilaterally m*rder Kathy Stabler,

without your knowledge?

It was his job
to provide security for me,

not my job to monitor
his every waking moment.

In hindsight, I am guilty.

Of trusting the wrong man.

And making sure that guy's

never seen or heard from again,

which seems to be
the fate of Mr. Bekher.

- Objection.
- Withdrawn.

Just to recap, all the witnesses

to the crimes that you may have ordered

are now either dead or incapacitated,

and yet you are not responsible
for any of those att*cks?

[LAUGHS]

Oh, Mr. Wheatley, you...

You gotta be the
unluckiest guy in the world.

Or maybe you're the luckiest.

Withdrawn.

Let's start over.

At the time of Rafiq's death,

wasn't he working as a drug dealer?

I know it's convenient
to depict all young, Black men

as drug dealers,

but Rafiq, was also a poet.

Yeah, he was a poet,

making his living selling

a bootlegged version of the street drug

that you manufactured.

A few months later, you found out

that a rival g*ng was
doing the same thing.

What happened to them?

I have no idea what
you're talking about.

I'll refresh your memory.

They were all gunned down...

- just like Rafiq.
- Objection.

Your Honor. How is any of
this relevant to the charges

my client is standing trial for today?

It speaks directly to motive,
Your Honor.

It's a question that we've
been circling for days.

Why Kathy Stabler?

- [SIGHS]
- Wasn't Kathy Stabler m*rder*d

because you couldn't risk

Angela finding out that it was you,

- who had ex*cuted her son...
- Your honor, objection!

Because he was ripping you off?

Do you really think repeating
that canard

over and over, and over,

will make it come true?

For the last time,
I didn't have anyone m*rder*d.

If I wanted someone dead,

they would be dead,

including you, Mr. Carisi.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

I'm sorry, did...

Did you just thr*aten

a prosecuting attorney in open court?

Jury's still out.

Judge sent them back three times.

It's deadlocked.

So you did your job.

I would've had an acquittal

if your partner hadn't
feigned losing it,

goaded Wheatley into testifying.

You wanted Stabler to lose it.

Yeah, and Stabler knew that,

drove into the skid,

even had you bring Angela in.

So we both did our jobs.

We did.

Stabler coming back has
made things more complicated...

So now we're gonna have small talk?

You know the problem
with being an empath?

it's too easy to lose yourself

when other people need you.

Just so we're clear,

I feel betrayed by you.

And I don't know how I'll ever...

Get over it.

[PHONE BUZZES]

Liv.

What?

Jury's back.

I'd like you to know,
whichever way this goes,

you did a hell of a job.

I'd like you to be my consigliere.

All due respect,

there's not enough money in the world.

- Where's Eli?
- Studying.

He's doing his homework,

but he's not answering his phone.

My mom's checking on him.
There she is.

Mama, what's up?

What do you mean he's not there?

I'm staring right at him.

Hold on a sec.

Look, uh...

Mama, I'm on my way.

Son of a bitch.

He must be looping a video on the cam.

And he emptied out
her medicine cabinet.

I'm so sorry, Elliot.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have not, Your Honor.

We remain hopelessly deadlocked.

Do you think getting more time might

enable you to come to a verdict?

No, Your Honor.

Your Honor, they've been deliberating

for less than a day.

Any longer, this could extend
over the holiday break.

We move for a mistrial.

One day or fourteen,

I'm sorry, I don't see
this being resolved.

I'm declaring a mistrial.

Members of the jury,
I thank you for your service.

Mr. Wheatley, you're remanded.

- What does that mean?
- It means we lost.

- They're gonna try him again, Elliot.
- Will they?

I have to find my son.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[WOLF HOWLS]