True Believers

"True Believers"
←	SVU, Episode 13.06	→
Production number: 13006 First aired: 2 November 2011 First aired (US): 2 November 2011 First aired (UK): 15 April 2012 First aired (CAN): 2 November 2011 First aired (AUS): 23 February 2012
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Written By Robin Veith Directed By Courtney Hunt

A music student is raped in her own apartment, and the seemingly clear cut case begins to unravel when the suspect hires a powerful defense attorney.

Summary

A young music student is raped at gunpoint in her own apartment, but with her help, the SVU squad makes a quick arrest. Bureau Chief Mike Cutter takes over the case when he finds that opposing counsel is high-profile defense attorney Bayard Ellis. As Ellis works to undermine their police work and damage the victim's credibility, the detectives take the stand to prove they have more than just a he-said, she-said case.

Plot

19-year-old musician Sarah Walsh is raped at gunpoint in her apartment. She waits a day before reporting it to the police, so the SVU detectives are unable to recover any DNA evidence except for what the suspect left on the glass of beer she gave him.

After Sarah sees her attacker outside of a local bar, Olivia & Nick track him down and arrest him. The suspect, Michael Wedmore, tosses a gun under the couch which Nick is able to get.

Bayard Ellis, a famous attorney and civil liberties advocate takes Michael's case pro bono in order to expose the NYPD's violations of protocol on both the ID of the suspect and the recovery of the gun. Ellis casts doubts on the prosecution of his client, claiming that the case is racially motivated.

During the trial, Ellis suggests that the gun was planted by Nick and reveals that Sarah had sex with an anonymous black male the night before her rape. Michael denies having sex with Sarah and alleges that she invited him in for a beer. In the end, he is found not guilty of rape & criminal possession of a weapon which upsets Olivia.

Cast

Main Cast

• Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
• Danny Pino as Detective Nick Amaro
• Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins
• Richard Belzer as Sergeant John Munch
• Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
• Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen (credit only)

Recurring Cast

• Andre Braugher as Defense Attorney Bayard Ellis
• Linus Roache as Bureau Chief Michael Cutter
• Tabitha Holbert as A.D.A. Rose Callier
• Michael Mastro as Judge D. Serani
• Tamara Tunie as M.E. Melinda Warner
• Sofia Vassilieva as Sarah Walsh
• Aisha de Haas as Yvette Wedmore
• Steve Rosen as Defense Attorney Michael Guthrie
• Rachel Deacon as Jen Burrows

Guest Cast

• Cedric Sanders as Michael Wedmore
• Kevin Geer as Henry Walsh
• Rebecca Luker as Ann Walsh
• Deirdre O'Connell as Judge N. Owens
• Dusty Brown as Paul
• Carmen Ruby Floyd as Nurse
• Tamika Sonja Lawrence as Mignon
• Tim Ransom as Bartender
• Etienne Navarre as Clerk
• Jermel Howard as Deron
• Kendell Hinds as Antawn
• Howard Sherman as Jury Foreperson

References

• Alexandra Cabot

Quotes

Episode quotes

Background information and notes

• Sarah Walsh would reappear in the season 15 episode "Wonderland Story".
• This episode marks the first appearance of Andre Braugher as the recurring role of Bayard Ellis.
  • Braugher's character Bayard Ellis says to Richard Belzer's character Sgt. John Munch, "Have we met?" Belzer and Braugher worked together on Homicide: Life on the Street, Belzer having originally played Munch on Homicide with Braugher as Detective Frank Pembleton.
    • Belzer and Braugher though both appeared as their Homicide characters in the Law & Order crossover episode "Charm City".
    • With Belzer as Detective John Munch and Braugher as Detective Frank Pembleton, the duo only partnered two times on Homicide: Life on the Street.
      • The first one was in the Season 5 episode "Narcissus", when a dunker turns out to be a killer-for-hire by the African Revival Movement.
      • The other was in the Season 6 episode "Finnegan's Wake" as a subplot while Detective Paul Falsone was trying to solve a cold case with retired detective Thomas Finnegan.

Episode scene cards

1	2	3
Mercy General Hospital Exam Room Wednesday, October 5	137th & Broadway Wednesday, October 5	Manhattan Academy of Music 1561 Amsterdam Avenue Thursday, October 6

4	5	6
Café Nougat 1612 Amsterdam Avenue Thursday, October 6	Superior Court Part 21 Wednesday, October 12	Superior Court Verdict Part 21 Tuesday, October 18

Previous episode: "Missing Pieces"

"True Believers" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13

Next episode: "Russian Brides"