Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Broken Rhymes (2016)

Mariska Hargitay: Lieutenant Olivia Benson

Photos 

Quotes 

• Olivia Benson : I understand that this is hard, but your daughter needs to start telling the truth.

  Liza Johnson : She's not going to testify. I'm not going to risk her safety over some...

  Olivia Benson : Some what? Some freak?

  Liza Johnson : She's just a kid. It's not her fault some man in a dress got attacked.

  Olivia Benson : Her name is Eva. She's an art student. She lives in Montclair with her family. With her parents, Nina and Mark; the mother is fifth grade teacher and the father is an electrician. And if you continue to interfere with our investigation, and encourage your daughter to lie, I will arrest you. Am I making myself clear?

  [Liza doesn't reply, but Benson can see the understanding in her face] 

  Olivia Benson : Thank you.

• Olivia Benson : I think that Vincent Love orchestrated Eva's murder.

  Rafael Barba : [groaning]  Oh, you are never letting me out of here.

• Olivia Benson : [Hype looks to his lawyer]  Don't look at him. This is your decision, not his.

• Olivia Benson : A public bathroom of a crowded mall in broad daylight. This is a hell of a place to attack someone.

  Amanda Rollins : Or it's the perfect place.

  [showing Benson the vic's ID] 

  Amanda Rollins : Vic is transgender.

• Amanda Rollins : Where were you today between 12:00 and 1:00 pm?

  Logan Blake : [sardonic laugh]  Okay. I was here all day, since 8:00 am, in my office. I ran out for a quick lunch around noon.

  Amanda Rollins : Oh, great. Did you eat around here?

  Logan Blake : Yeah, a diner in Tribeca.

  Olivia Benson : Well, Eva's father said that... that you two were fighting last night.

  Logan Blake : It wasn't serious. I love Eva.

  Amanda Rollins : [sarcastic]  Yeah. Let me count the ways.

  [consulting her notepad] 

  Amanda Rollins : "I'm tired of your lies". "I'm starting to despise you". "I wish you'd disappear."

  Olivia Benson : I mean, I'd hate to see your serious arguments.

• Dominick Carisi, Jr. : Vic's legal name is Eric Carson. She's a twenty-four year old art student from Montclair, New Jersey. Seems like she goes by the name Eva these days.

  Olivia Benson : Parents?

  Odafin Tutuola : They're on their way.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : This is the nurse.

  Olivia Benson : Hey. What do we got?

  SANE Nurse : Rape kit showed forced penetration, severe tearing and bleeding, perforated colon. Significant blunt force trauma to the head and torso, as well. She's lucky to be alive.

  Olivia Benson : Okay. Semen? Is there any sign of... of intercourse?

  SANE Nurse : No.

  Amanda Rollins : Defensive wounds?

  SANE Nurse : Bruises on her wrists and arms. We're checking her nails for DNA.

  Olivia Benson : Thank you.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : [as the nurse leaves]  Okay. So a transgender art student from the suburbs gets beaten and raped with a pipe in a public restroom just months after New York State signs the gender neutral bathroom bill. Media's gonna be all over this.

  Olivia Benson : Yeah, for good reason. This is a hate crime.

• Olivia Benson : Do we have anything on Hype's past that suggests that he's good for this?

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : One prior. Armed robbery. Plead it down to a misdemeanor, didn't do any time, but I listened to some of his music. It's hardcore.

  Amanda Rollins : You mean hateful. It's full of homophobic rants, gay slurs.

  Olivia Benson : So he may not be the spokesperson for the LGBTQ crowd, but it doesn't mean that he's good for the assault.

  Amanda Rollins : This might. Look at this.

  [turning her laptop around] 

  Amanda Rollins : "Look who I just ran into at Cypress market! #HypeRules." Posted yesterday at 11:54 a.m. I mean, that's twenty minutes before Eva's attack.

  Odafin Tutuola : Yeah, so much for being in the studio all day working on his rhymes.

  Olivia Benson : Let's bring him in. I want to find out what he was doing at Cypress market and why he lied about it.

• Odafin Tutuola : That's Cash Lewis. That's Hype's business parter and producer.

  Amanda Rollins : Well, he's got quite the rap sheet. Felony assault. Weapons. Narcotics. And gang affiliation for added measure.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : Okay, so Cash is hanging out with Eva behind Logan's back. Why would he beat and rape her?

  Odafin Tutuola : Lots of reasons.

  Olivia Benson : All we need is one.

• Olivia Benson : Hype, we have your DNA under Eva's fingernails. We have you near the crime scene twenty minutes before the attack, and as for motive, there's too many to choose from.

  Odafin Tutuola : Hate. Greed.

  Olivia Benson : Not to mention that you were heading toward the hospital, to what? To kill her? To make sure that she never woke up so she couldn't ID you?

  Odafin Tutuola : Hype. You gotta come clean, man. We already have enough to charge you.

  Olivia Benson : He's right. We're just being polite.

• Olivia Benson : We're giving you a chance to tell us what really happened.

  Odafin Tutuola : Now, you can start by telling us how your DNA got under Eva's fingernails.

  Hype : Okay. But if I tell y'all, will you promise to keep it private?

  Olivia Benson : Absolutely. We won't say a word.

  Hype : Like, for real? You can't tell no one.

  Olivia Benson : For real.

  Hype : Okay. Cool. I appreciate that. So... the reason my skin is underneath her fingernails is because... we had sex. We... we're dating. We're in love.

• Rafael Barba : The girl IDed Cash Lewis. Is it credible?

  Olivia Benson : I think so. When she saw his face in the photo array, her eyes lit up, and she said she remembered the tattoo on his neck. It reminded her of SpongeBob.

  Rafael Barba : Huh. Motive?

  Olivia Benson : Look, Eva posed a threat to Hype's image. His career. So Cash tried to buy her off. When she refused, he beat and raped her with a pipe.

  Rafael Barba : I'm not sure we have enough for an arrest just yet, but I'll get you a search warrant.

  Olivia Benson : Okay.

  [as she turns to leave, her phone chimes] 

  Olivia Benson : The sooner, the better. Our rape case just turned into a murder investigation. Eva passed away an hour ago.

• Rafael Barba : We're going to indict you for murder first thing tomorrow.

  Mitch Hampton : Randall acted in self defense.

  Rafael Barba : Mm. We disagree. The evidence doesn't add up. But the good news is I'm here to offer you a deal, sir. Man one. I will, however, need you to allocute so that the judge and the public knows why I'm offering you such a good deal.

  Hype : What's that mean?

  Olivia Benson : That means you need to tell the judge what really happened; that you killed Cash in a heightened, emotional fit of rage because you loved Eva.

  Hype : [sharing a look with his lawyer, who shakes him off]  Look, this ain't got nothing to do with nobody named Eva.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, Hype, don't be stupid.

  Hype : I shot Cash over a business dispute! In self defense! Like I said, I ain't no faggot.

• Olivia Benson : Three lives ruined all because Eva was born a boy.

  Rafael Barba : I read that Hype's single went to #1.

  Olivia Benson : [dryly]  Well that's what really matters.

• Dominick Carisi, Jr. : $50,000, payable to Eric Carson, aka Eva. We found it in a wastebasket in her apartment.

  Odafin Tutuola : Written on a 187 checking account.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, so why did she rip it up?

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : I'm guessing out of principle.

  Odafin Tutuola : Cash the check first. Worry about principle later.

  Olivia Benson : All right. So Cash and Vincent Love try to bribe Eva. She says no. Then what?

  Odafin Tutuola : Well, Hype's worried about some transgender girl telling the world that she writes all his hardcore raps.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, that sounds like possible motive to me.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : Yeah, but for who? Cash? Hype? Vincent Love?

  Amanda Rollins : My money's on Hype.

  Olivia Benson : What do you mean?

  Amanda Rollins : I just spoke with the lab. They found his DNA under Eva's fingernails.

  Olivia Benson : Sit on his studio. I'll send Anti-Crime to the apartment.

  [to Fin and Carisi as she leaves] 

  Olivia Benson : You two, work on an arrest warrant. Now!

• Olivia Benson : So, Hype, I just want to go over everything again and make sure that I... that I fully understand. So you and Eva were involved, and that's the reason that you went to the hospital? To check on her condition?

  Hype : Yeah. I mean, I just wanted to make sure she was okay. But like I said, I ain't gay. Not even close. I just... you know, I just like her, that's all.

  Olivia Benson : So when did you and Eva first meet?

  Hype : Three months ago. At some party for some photographer. We liked each other. Started hanging out.

  Odafin Tutuola : Why'd she slap you?

  Hype : 'Cause I pretended I ain't know her. Started making some stupid jokes. I just ain't want nobody to know, that's all.

  Olivia Benson : So this had nothing to do with the songs she wrote.

  Hype : What are you talking about?

  Odafin Tutuola : Your boy Cash told us she wrote some of your tracks, but you didn't want her name on the album. That's why he and Vincent Love had to give her 50k to remain anonymous.

  Hype : What the hell are you talking about? Eva didn't write no tracks. She don't even like rap. Look, I write my own rhymes, from day one, a'ight?

  Olivia Benson : Then why were you at Cypress market?

  Hype : Eva wanted to have lunch. In public. She was tired of our relationship being on the DL. It was a big deal to her.

  Olivia Benson : And?

  Hype : I freaked out. Changed my mind. I mean, I wanted to have lunch, but I just couldn't do it. So I left. Went to the bar down the street, drank some peach schnapps, and went back to the studio.

• Odafin Tutuola : The bartender at the Golden Goat says he remembers Hype. Says he's the first person in five years to order peach schnapps. Surveillance video show him there from 12:10 to 1:05.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, so if Hype didn't do it, then who did? The boyfriend, Logan, is in the clear, right?

  Amanda Rollins : Yeah. The office manager confirms he was at the doctor's office from 12:15 to 1:10.

  Olivia Benson : So if it wasn't Hype and it wasn't Logan...

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : It's gotta be Cash.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, so get the mother and the daughter down here right away and see if they can ID him.

• Rafael Barba : This whole self defense thing is a total mess. First and foremost, Cash didn't pull the gun. Hype did. The kid is lying about everything.

  Olivia Benson : To avoid admitting that he was in love with Eva.

  Rafael Barba : Even if he tells the truth, that he was seeking revenge because of Eva's death, he could still be staring down a murder charge.

  Olivia Benson : Look, the guy finds out that the love of his life has just died after being beaten and raped with a pipe. I mean, it sounds like heat of the moment to me.

  Rafael Barba : No. He had three hours to cool down. He stole Vincent Love's gun. Then he drove sixty blocks looking for his victim, and he shot him in cold blood. To me, that sounds like murder.

  Olivia Benson : Well, if the victim wasn't such a hate-filled, pipe wielding rapist, then I'd more inclined to agree with you.

  Rafael Barba : From a legal perspective, that's irrelevant.

  Olivia Benson : I know, but from a human one, it's not. Cash killed Eva because she was transgender. Is the world really gonna be a worse place because Hype does five years instead of twenty?

• Olivia Benson : That kid thinks because he's in love with a transgender woman that he's gay. He's confused.

  Rafael Barba : Well, we tried. It was a good deal. It was almost too good. Either the guy has got a lot of confidence in this lawyer...

  Olivia Benson : Or he's being handled. That lawyer is in Vincent Love's back pocket. Any time one of his rappers gets jammed up, good old Hampton gets a call.

  Rafael Barba : So?

  Olivia Benson : "So"? So the real client is Vincent Love, not Hype.

  Rafael Barba : He's allowed to pay the legal fees as long as there's no conflict of interest.

  Olivia Benson : No conflict? He just talked Hype out of the best deal that he is ever going to see, because he's protecting Love's brand. They're transphobic, homophobic, and if they have to sell Hype out in the meantime - you know, convince him to stay street - so be it.

  Rafael Barba : I don't disagree, but it's not my problem. I've got a trial to win.

• Odafin Tutuola : Just got off the phone with the event planner. He says he doesn't know the name of the guy who got slapped, but he does know he was a guest of Vincent Love's.

  Amanda Rollins : Vincent Love, the rap guy?

  Odafin Tutuola : Yeah, the founder of 187 Music. He works with the biggest names out there.

  Olivia Benson : So I'm guessing that big-name rappers don't appreciate getting slapped by transgender models. All right. Let's find Vincent Love and find out exactly what happened.

• Olivia Benson : [about Hype]  Look, this guy's lying about something, so get his mug in a photo array and show it to the mother and the daughter.

  Amanda Rollins : They're in Boston until Wednesday.

  [checking her phone] 

  Amanda Rollins : Oh, and Hype's not the only one lying. Security video confirms Eva's boyfriend Logan left his law firm at 11:30 and didn't return until 1:45.

  Olivia Benson : That's not a quick lunch.

  Amanda Rollins : No, not unless you live in Italy.

• Dominick Carisi, Jr. : So Hype's in love with Eva.

  Odafin Tutuola : That's what he says.

  Amanda Rollins : And you believe him?

  Olivia Benson : He seems credible, but he's told so many lies. It's really hard to tell where he's coming from.

  Odafin Tutuola : That's what makes me believe he's telling the truth.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : How so?

  Odafin Tutuola : I mean, Hype's an up and coming rapper. Hardcore, at that.

  Amanda Rollins : So he's been lying to protect his image.

  Odafin Tutuola : His career. I mean, this style of rap is all about reputation. It's all about street cred. For him to tell his fans that he's in love with a transgender woman, they'd laugh at him. His whole brand would go up in smoke.

  Olivia Benson : It's 2016, for god's sake.

  Odafin Tutuola : Not for people selling gangster rap.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : Yeah, or some of my relatives.

  Amanda Rollins : Or mine, too.

  Odafin Tutuola : Look, this whole gender fluidity thing is coming out more nowadays, and that's cool, but the truth is it's confusing, and a lot of people can't make sense of it all. Me included.

  Olivia Benson : And our friend Hype.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : Okay, so let's... let's say we believe this guy, that he really does love Eva. That still doesn't make him innocent.

  Olivia Benson : Listen, I agree. All that denial and... and self hatred. Who knows? Maybe Hype did just crack and took out all his rage on Eva. Let's go back inside and see if we can learn anything.