Marty Willick is the husband of serial killer Eileen Willick, having covered for her when she abused her infant children to the points of killing them for attention from the pity. Marty couldn't stand losing his babies despite telling himself he still loved his wife and not wanting to lose her from turning her in.
History[]
When she killed their latest child, a daughter named Emily, he ran out to the park and pleaded with an officer there that he couldn't "find" Emily to get a missing persons investigation started. Marty tried to blame Robert Cole, a pepping tom on the mothers and nannies to divert suspicion, but he was cleared when it was found out he had contact info of various women despite his camera having no film.
When Emily's pouch was found near the park but the timing couldn't work for an alleged kidnapper based on Marty's story, Lennie Briscoe confronted him alone. Appealing to the both of them being fathers, he got Marty to admit Emily's location: she was in a cooler wrapped in satin, with a crucifix and a stuffed animal. Marty tried to say Emily was sick a lot and died from health problems, but the detectives weren't buying it.
Going to the family's pediatrician after reviewing Emily's hospital visits at Mount Sinai, the doctor says the Willicks lost their two other birth children, Daniel and Caroline, in infancy under similar circumstances. The doctor added he filed a recommendation for them to adopt a boy, but they find Gary was removed due to allegations of abuse with confabulated defense, including suspicious suffocation.
Eileen and Marty are brought in to be interrogated individually, Marty having more composure, while Eileen is more noticeably disturbed. After enough prodding his denial, Marty finally caved and admitted to the detectives Eileen likely was guilty of harming their kids, while Eileen kept grumbling she was a good mother who was never understood in her grief and loneliness and instead always blamed. Nevertheless, the detectives have little evidence to go off to prove murder. Claire Kincaid is still insisted to indict the couple, so Eileen and Marty are arrested for their crimes.
SIDS and other crib death expert Dr. Margaret Slavin confirms the babies were more likely killed than just passed away since they all died, with a psychology professor certain Eileen has Munchausen by proxy and abuses and kills her children to feel the love of support she's addicted to. Even Marty's sister Theresa Tritch saw Eileen's desperation for people to make her feel better at the second funeral, and how she made Marty not get a vasectomy by threatening divorce.
The trial has both prosecution and defense bringing their witnesses to cross examination, including the Willicks. Marty insisted the family's loving and in mourning and that he wish he knew about his children's murders, but Jack McCoy points out Marty's contradictions on how he couldn't hear Emily suffocate despite his light sleeping. The Willicks have an upper hand of McCoy not having freedom of calling out their pattern of child deaths by not mentioning more of their children besides Emily.
With three jurors not ready to convict, Adam Schiff has McCoy work to strike a plea. When McCoy insists in a tuba ligation, the judge throws him off the case. But he gets just the leverage he needs: Eileen is pregnant again. The couple is confronted, with Marty horrified to hear the news from dreading the cycle repeating itself. He finally concedes and, despite Eileen's pleas and whimpers in tears, admits in detail him witnessing Eileen smothering Emily to death. He then kneels next to her and says, "You're a good person. I just don't understand why you do these things."
Eileen takes the plea and is placed in the custody of Bedford Hills. Marty is likely imprisoned for his own actions. (L&O: "Precious")