William Labott is a child abuser who developed a patriarchal religious cult comprising of his own large family.
History[]
Labott and his wife Debbie, both of them religious fanatics, spent many years starving and physically abusing their nine children. However, Debbie realized that what they were doing was wrong, but she stayed in the hopes of protecting her children. His eldest child Esther eventually escaped the house and was found by Detective Rollins. Though they found evidence of abuse, SVU was forced to hand Esther back to Labott because she turned out to be an adult and there was no crime that they could definitively charge him with as a result.
Not wanting to see Labott get away with it, Rollins followed the family around New Jersey and eventually broke into their home, where she found the youngest daughter Rachel chained to a radiator. She was then confronted by the rest of the family, who all forced her out at gunpoint and then initiated a standoff. Despite negotiations, a shootout ensued, leaving Esther and the two oldest Labott sons dead while Debbie took three of the youngest and ran. Devastated by his losses, Labott surrendered to the police without further incident while his remaining children were all found and rescued unharmed.
Both Labott and Debbie were convicted of various charges relating to the long-term child abuse and the standoff, and were imprisoned. Nevertheless, Labott remained insistent that he had done the right thing with his treatment of his children. (SVU: "The Book of Esther")
Known Victims[]
- Unknown dates: His nine children (all abused and starved over a long period of time):
- Esther Labott (later accidentally shot in the head by Rollins during the Labott house standoff)
- Rachel Labott
- His five unnamed sons (two were later shot and killed by police during the Labott house standoff)
- His three unnamed daughters
- April 21, 2018: The Labott house standoff (committed by him and some of his sons):
- Detective Amanda Rollins (attempted; shot at repeatedly, but missed)
- Lieutenant Olivia Benson (attempted; shot at repeatedly, but missed)
- Captain Sasso (attempted; shot at repeatedly, but missed)
- Three unnamed police officers (attempted; all shot, but survived)
- Numerous unnamed police officers (attempted; shot at repeatedly, but missed)