Benson and Lake are joined by a young FBI profiler as they hunt for a sadistic serial killer named The Woodsman. Huang suspects something's wrong with the case. Things take a turn when The Woodsman ends up dead - and the profiler appears to have sent the email telling cops where to find his body. We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 9 episode 12 "Signature." Our guest is Sarah Snyder from the "Adulting with ADHD" podcast. Plot points for this episode come from the case of Todd Alan Reed, also known as The Forest Park Killer.
A woman says she was drugged, filmed, and raped by a celebrity plastic surgeon and his girlfriend. But the couple - and the many other women with which they made sex tapes - say the sex was consensual. Fin and Carisi find an encrypted video that links the doctor to a missing girl, a skeleton in a wall, and a tearful reunion for a father and daughter. We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 20 episode 11 "Plastic." Our guest is Josh Duggan from the Munch my Benson podcast. This episode is based on the case of Dr. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley.
Briscoe and Green investigate a fatal dog attack in Central Park. They trace the killer canine to a dog fighting ring controlled by a prison inmate. McCoy and Southerlyn bring manslaughter charges against the convict's lawyer, who owned the dog. McCoy tries to convince the jury by showing them the murder weapon: the snarling, barking pit bull. We're talking about Law & Order season 12 episode 1 "Who Let the Dogs Out?" Our returning guest is comedian Brandi Brown. This episode is inspired by the 2001 death of Diane Whipple.
A boy says a rich toy store owner molested him during a children's party and paid his parents hush money. Novak is thwarted when the victim recants and leaves town. Then a woman tells Benson and Stabler her dying granddaughter was also molested by the billionaire. Her story falls apart when it's learned the girl doesn't have cancer; she's being poisoned by her grandmother who suffers from Munchausen syndrome. We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 5 episode 19 "Sick." Our guest is Adam Schwitters from the "Munch my Benson" podcast. Some plot points of this episode come from the story of Beth Thomas.
Hollywood stylist Lily Walker is gunned down at a stop sign. LAPD Detectives Ricky Morales and TJ Jaruszalski question those who had a beef with her...including Khloé Kardashian. As they prosecute designer Jill Jennings - a former friend who slept with her husband - prosecutors Joe Dekker and NYC-transplant Connie Rubirosa learn her beef with Lily goes further back than anyone suspected. We're talking about Dick Wolf's failed attempt to transplant the show to the west coast. We're looking at Law & Order: LA season 1 episode 12 "Benedict Canyon." We're joined by five-time guest Sarah D. Bunting. This episode takes cues from the story of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen.
The body of a girl is found in a suitcase along with a doll. Despite statistics to the contrary, sex therapist-turned-consultant Cap Jackson (played by Jeremy Irons) thinks the killer is a woman. After getting a confession from the child's piano teacher, Benson and Stabler learn shocking details about her mother and sister. We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 12 episode 20 "Totem." Our returning guest is Irish broadcaster Chris Greene. Plot points for this episode are taken from the 2009 murder of Sandra Cantu.
Benson takes a 911 call from a little girl locked in a room without food or water. The squad is frantically searching the city, but the cell signal keeps changing locations and some details the girl provides don't add up. Cragen worries the call is a hoax, but Olivia believes it's real and won't quit until the girl is rescued. We're talking about Mariska Hargitay's Emmy-winning performance in the highest ranked episode in the Law & Order franchise: SVU season 7 episode 3 "911." Our guest is Sarah Devin from the Special Survivors Unit podcast. This episode takes some cues from the controversy around a fake 911 call made to New Jersey police in 2004.
A white socialite had given up her Black baby for adoption before being thrown from her balcony. Briscoe and Curtis learn her husband has been passing as white for years. Is he - or someone else - willing to kill to keep the family secret? We have thoughts about Law & Order season 8 episode 7 "Blood." Our guest is Pulitzer Prize winning author/podcaster/professor Marcia Chatelain. This episode takes cues from the real-life story of author Anatole Broyard.
After her baby is kidnapped, Stabler and Cragen wonder if the mom is responsible. When a reporter accuses her on television of murder, the mother kills herself. The baby turns up unharmed and DNA leads to a biological father with a violent past. Their efforts to protect the child get Stabler and Novak sued, so they get Judge Donnelly to represent them in court. We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 8 episode 15 "Haystack." Our guest is Nettie Smith from Oh Hell Yes: A Girlfriends Podcast. This episode is inspired by the real-life story of Melinda Duckett.
The mothership is back! A singer who drugged and raped dozens of women is murdered. Detective Kevin Bernard and his hot-headed new partner Frank Cosgrove trace the crime back to a rape victim. Uneasy with the ethics of Cosgrove’s interrogation, prosecutor Nolan Price tells DA Jack McCoy he won’t use the confession. The trial ensnares a familiar face: ADA Jamie Ross. We’re talking about the first new Law & Order episode since 2010: season 21 episode 1 “The Right Thing.” Our guest is Brady Carlson from the Cool Weird Awesome podcast. This episode is based on the legal turns in the sexual assault case against Bill Cosby.