Tommy McConaugh is a small-time drug dealer who, along with fellow petty criminal Mark Krieger, rapes reporter Sarah Logan.
History[]
McConough immigrated to New York City from Ireland and started selling drugs for an organized crime syndicate, laundering the profits through a gas station he managed, a job set up for him by his mob bosses.
One night three months prior to the events of the episode, he met up with one of his customers, Mark Krieger, at a bar, and they proceeded to get drunk. After the bar closed for the night, they left together and cruised around town looking for somewhere else to party. They broke into an ice-skating rink, where Krieger talked McConaugh into gang-raping TV reporter Sarah Logan, whom they grabbed as she was walking home from work.
After Detectives Benson and Stabler of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit arrest Krieger for Logan's rape, she tells them that she remembers that her rapist had a tattoo of an eye on his wrist and that he smelled of clove cigarettes - unknowingly describing McConaugh. Since neither of these characteristics match Krieger, he is released on bail, even though Logan identified him in a suspect lineup.
Benson, Stabler, and Detectives John Munch and Monique Jeffries investigate further and discover evidence that Logan was raped by a second attacker. They question Krieger's acquaintances and the bartender who had served him on the night of the rape, all of whom relate that he had been partying with a man who had an Irish accent and a tattoo matching Logan's description, and who smoked clove cigarettes. After cross-checking arrest databases with these identifiers, the SVU team finds McConaugh.
Benson and Stabler arrest McConaugh at his gas station, even though he tries to run. During his interrogation, he at first denies that he had anything to do with the rape or with dealing drugs despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and then tries to blame everything on Krieger, saying that Krieger "made him do it". SVU Captain Donald Cragen questions him using a "disappointed father figure" approach, guilt-tripping him into admitting what he did, even as he hypocritically protests that he respects women and tries to rationalize assaulting Logan by saying that he used a condom and stopped Krieger from hitting her after he was done.
Soon afterwards, Krieger and Logan are murdered by William Lexner, a psychopath who had been stalking Logan. McConaugh, meanwhile is found guilty of rape and imprisoned. (SVU: "Remorse")