Nick Pearce is a pedophile who attempted to run off with Elizabeth Lee.
Background[]
Hailing from a wealthy family in Rhode Island, he began a relationship with a woman named Nadine. However, he was a pedophile who targeted Nadine's preteen daughter Eva and invited them to his cabin, but Eva's father had her stay with him for the summer. Seeing he couldn't get to her, Nick broke up with Nadine who previously suspected something after seeing her daughter's behavior around him. In 2019, he moved to New York and got a job as a guitarist and part time job as a church worship leader, in order to scope out his victims. He adopted the name Luke Davis and was well loved by his peers, who were unaware of his true nature. He took a specific interest in a 14-year-old girl named Elizabeth Lee, who he met through bible study and began teaching her the guitar to get closer. Pearce slowly insinuated himself in her life by becoming a family friend and slowly groomed her.
To ensure he had leverage against both Elizabeth's parents should he get caught, he entered into a sexual relationship with Elizabeth's mother Claire after seeing she was lonely, and their affair went on for a year. On his birthday, he got intoxicated and molested Elizabeth's father Paul, while promising him that he would not tell anyone after a prayer, but they had exchanges at least once or twice. Eventually, he and Elizabeth slept together, with her becoming pregnant with his child. He also groomed Beth into adopting his fanatic views, making her dependent on him.
Did You Believe in Miracles?[]
Pearce took Elizabeth to his cabin under the guise of going on a church mission. The Lee couple thought nothing of it, but this caught the attention of Special Victims Unit, after Elizabeth's brother Elijah revealed he hadn't seen his sister in a week. SVU looked into Pearce after discovering he used a burner phone and his real name after a couple from the church revealed they secretly did a background check on him. His affair with Claire was revealed but the detectives knew he used her to get to her daughter. The detectives soon found his ex-girlfriend who revealed there was a cabin he would go to. Raiding the cabin, they found Elizabeth safe while Pearce was arrested on the spot for kidnapping.
In court, his attorney denied the allegations and used Nick's sexual activities with the Lee parents to make it look like they were too ashamed of their encounters and were trying to frame him. In the meantime, Elizabeth refused a rape kit, making it hard for SVU to confirm any sexual activity between them but Nick's obvious lust to the teen and desire to marry to her only serve to fuel A.D.A. Carisi's desire to ensure he is punished. Much later, Nick violated the restraining order and attempted to marry Elizabeth, resulting in him being arrested. As he was cuffed, he tried to reassure a protesting Elizabeth that their union is being misunderstood. Elizabeth revealed to the police she might be pregnant with Nick's child.
Soon SVU found a way to incriminate Nick by having Claire mislead her daughter into thinking the Lee family would drop the charges and allow her to marry Nick on her 15th birthday but only if she confirmed her pregnancy. After an elated Beth went ahead, the DNA of the fetus was a match to Pearce and he was promptly charged with statutory rape and kidnapping, with his lawyer taking a plea to avoid trial. The Lee parents were happy he was gone from their lives and reconciled, and Claire revealed that Elizabeth will keep the baby but she and her husband will raise it as their own. (SVU: "Did You Believe in Miracles?")