Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

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.

Open the gate!

So they let you out.

21 years, 5 months, and 3 days.

But who's counting?

Thanks for coming, Dorsey.

Wipe that smirk off your face, you bastard.

All these years, you still hate me.

Hanging onto anger is really unhealthy.

Your act may have fooled the parole board,

but not me.

You need to let go.

Not a chance.

When you do it again, I'll be waiting.

Follow me around all you want,

but you're gonna get bored.

I've been rehabilitated.

You'll always be a rapist, Schenkel!

I guess this is it, then.

See you, Dorsey.

Bet on it!

You mind if I sit here?

Tell me what happened.

I spent the weekend with my aunt in Pittsburgh.

I took the bus back and was walking to the subway.

And he grabbed me.

And he raped me.

Take deep breath, honey, it's okay.

We should get her to Mercy.

All right, I'll ride with her, get her statement

at the hospital.

I'll meet you back at the house.

Detective!

William Dorsey, retired, out of the Six-Seven Squad.

Elliot Stabler, Special Victims.

You see something?

I heard the call on my scanner.

Got here as soon as I could. I can help.

Tell you what, we appreciate that,

but we got everything under control.

Thank you.

Stabler!

Give me the time of day, I'll give you the perp.

Summer of '84.

Ray Schenkel and his cousin, big galoot named Carl,

raped eight young girls.

Took me 10 months, but I collared him.

You kept the clipping all this time, huh?

I knew he'd do it again. Knew it in my bones.

Didn't wanna forget.

You understand.

And now he's out.

Released from Elmira this morning.

Took the bus back.

Eight rapes.

Why'd he only get 20 years?

We only nailed Grey on one.

Claimed his cousin Carl did the others alone.

And Carl pointed the finger at Ray.

Ray gave the orders, picked the victims,

Carl followed them.

I came out of Port Authority,

and he was walking down 42nd Street.

He came up behind me, pushed me into the alley.

Did you see his face?

No.

He grabbed my T-shirt and pulled it over my head.

I couldn't--I couldn't move my arms.

I couldn't breathe.

Carl was the muscle.

He'd blitz the girl from behind,

then yank a pillowcase over her head.

He'd throw the girl in their old van,

and then Ray'd let him have a little taste.

Then Carl would drive around

while Ray kept raping the girl in back.

Longest they ever held a girl was 16 hours.

One minute he was on top of me,

pulling my pants down, and then he was gone.

Did he say anything?

He'd make them kneel, say their prayers,

cock his gun, pull the trigger.

The gun was empty.

Then he'd rape them again.

Ray's your perp.

He may not have left his DNA,

but he raped that girl today,

and he'll do it again.

'Til you put him back in jail.

Or he's in his grave.

The old guy's locked on Ray.

I don't know.

There's a lot of differences between then and now.

And Ray worked with a partner,

he only struck at night,

and he used his rape-mobile.

The attacks are the same.

It's a T-shirt instead of a pillowcase.

And Ray was at Port Authority when Kelly Browning

was attacked.

We gotta talk to him.

I'm sending Elliot down to One P.P.

to pull the old case files.

You and Olivia pick up Ray.

Corrections released him to a halfway house

on Rivington.

Ray Schenkel!

Welcome wagon?

Paddy wagon.

Whatever it was, I didn't do it.

I just came back to town this morning.

We heard.

So where you been since you got off the bus?

Took a walk through Times Square.

Looking for a peep show or a hooker?

I wanted to see the Deuce.

It's amazing how much they've cleaned it up.

So where'd you go next, huh?

I went straight on out 6th avenue.

Checked out Bryant Park.

Then I took a little detour here

and said hello to the Flatiron Building.

You talk to anybody?

And say what?

I just got out of prison, nice to meet you?

You know, go into a store,

buy yourself a cup of coffee, anything like that?

I went to Gray's Papaya on 8th Street.

Got a hot dog for 75 cents.

Still the best deal in town.

Also one of the busiest joints in town.

No chance they'll remember you.

I didn't know I'd need an alibi.

A girl gets raped, and I'm on the radar?

Who said anything about rape?

Well, I'm a convicted sex offender.

Round up the usual suspects, right?

I'm not making any excuses for what I did.

But I've had a lot of time to confront my demons

and become a better man.

Or a lot of time for your sick fantasies to fester.

You the same guy you were 20 years ago?

This ain't about me.

No, it's about Detective Dorsey.

He got to you.

He doesn't believe I've changed,

and neither do you.

What kind of fool would rape a woman

the day he gets out of prison?

You, Ray.

'Cause there's no cure for sex offenders.

Yes, there is.

You spend 21 years locked up in a cage.

Being told when you can eat, when you can sleep,

when you can take a piss.

Freedom's a precious thing.

I'll never risk losing it again.

Ray Schenkel's good at acting innocent.

Well, we can't be sure he's not.

These cats don't change.

Once a rapist, always a rapist.

Statistics say that one out of two

will rape again.

Ray could be a changed man.

Before we lynch this guy,

I want some hard evidence.

Got it.

Ruined my clothes digging the files

out of archives.

Take a look at this.

Long dark brown hair. Shy smile.

Tell me they don't remind you of Kelly Browning.

We can't get tunnel vision.

We have to look at every possible suspect.

Take Munch and recanvass Port Authority.

Let me tail Ray for a couple days.

Detective Dorsey's got you all worked up

about Ray Schenkel.

You ever consider that maybe he's wrong?

But if he's right, Parole needs to put Ray

under tighter supervision.

Craig Lennon at sex offender parole.

Very tough guy. Lemme just talk to him.

Fine.

But turn over the case.

Watching Ray Schenkel is parole's job, not ours.

And change your clothes.

I'm here to see Parole Officer Lennon.

Sit down and wait 'til you're called.

This yours?

Go ahead. Thanks.

Wow! You see that?

Yeah.

Who's your P.O.?