In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the dedicated detectives
who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
You understand,
there's no wiggle room on the price.
Well, I'd like to see it before we talk numbers.
A brownstone like this
won't stay on the market for long.
What happened here?
Oh, God.
Donna! Call for help.
I-I need the police.
Two people are dead.
H-Help me.
Dead lady's
Donna Brooks, 70.
No sign of forced entry, no security cameras.
Raped and strangled.
Lumalite showed traces of semen.
Okay. Dispatch said that you had a live one.
Old guy's Richard Sutton.
EMS is treating him out there.
Don't know why he was here.
What happened to him?
Possible heart attack.
Marks, bruises?
Not that we could see.
Is he stable enough to talk?
Yeah, but we got to get him to Saint Vincent's.
You can ride along.
I'm Detective Stabler.
Can you tell me what happened?
Donna... Donna...
Now Mr. Sutton, tell me what happened.
Oh, God.
I'm sorry.
For what?
I'm sorry.
Mr. Sutton?
We lost his pulse.
What we got, another heart attack?
He's in V-fib.
You know CPR?
Yeah.
Start chest compressions. Grab the paddles.
Did he say anything else to you two inside?
Just that his chest was killing him. Back away.
Clear.
Still in V-fib.
I'll shock him again.
Clear.
I got a rhythm and a pulse.
Let's move.
What the hell happened?
Okay, let's get him in.
Heart attack.
Is that the victim?
No. More like the perp.
Captioning sponsored by UNIVERSAL NETWORK TELEVISION
and NBC
Richard Sutton is still unconscious.
He's in cardiac intensive care.
Lives alone on the Upper East Side.
Neighbors say he keeps to himself.
What's he doing hanging around with the Queen
of the charity balls?
Well, he's a good-looking guy.
Donna Brooks is a wealthy widow.
Maybe he's her boyfriend.
So this could be a domestic dispute?
Well, makes sense.
There's no obvious signs of robbery or forced entry.
Donna and Richard have sex, they argue,
it gets violent, he murders her,
and then has a heart attack
from all the excitement?
Or he finds her dead body, then has a heart attack.
The victim's family should know if she and Sutton were involved.
Her daughter Joset
is on her way in right now from Jersey.
The marks on her neck are distinctive.
Did you find the ligature?
No. CSU's checking for all possibles
in the victim's house-- lamp cords,
belts, drapery pulls.
Warner give us
a time of death?
Based on rigor and body temp,
she puts it at 10:00 last night.
Okay. Keep on CSU for the ligature report.
- Captain... - Right this way.
Excuse me.
I'm, uh, here about my mother, Donna Brooks.
Why was your mother
selling her brownstone?
Because I forced her to.
She liked her independence, but I wanted her
to spend the time she had left with me and her grandkids.
She was sick.
Lymphoma.
She had less than a year.
When was the last time you spoke with her?
I called her this morning.
But I got the machine.
I just figured she was exercising.
She was that strong?
She worked out every morning at 5:00.
She said she...
she wanted to stay fit,
because there was a lot of competition for a good man.
Your mom dated a lot?
This is just so embarrassing.
So, your mother was
sexually active?
With all sorts of men.
She ever mention the name Richard Sutton?
No,
I've never heard of him,
but that doesn't mean anything.
I told her to be more careful.
Was there anyone special?
Harvey Cohen.
He was an instructor at Hot to Trot.
He taught her how to tango.
Excuse me, can you tell me
which one Harvey Cohen is?
He's right there.
Right there. Thank you.
Harvey Cohen?
Yes.
Mind if I cut in?
Phil, take over, will you?
I could never refuse a beautiful lady.
Good. Then you won't mind telling me
if Donna Brooks was here last night.
Why don't we step over here?
She's here every Monday.
You tell me what this is about.
Just have a couple of questions.
How well did you know Donna?
We're partners.
We have a standing date after class.
Oh. So you were having an affair?
Oh, shame on you, Detective.
A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell.
A gentleman doesn't rape and murder his girlfriend.
What the hell are you talking about?
Donna Brooks-- she was murdered last night.
Oh, my God.
What, you don't think I killed her.
You just admitted to having a date with her.
Well, I canceled.
Why?
Well, she was flirting with another man
during class, in front of everyone.
What did you do about that?
I told her to take
her boy toy and get out.
This boy toy have a name?
Ben Pawler.
Young enough to be her son.
Donna and I left class together.
Went back to her place.
What's the big deal?
I'd say about a 40-year age difference.
You should try it.
Older women-- they have more experience.
They're less inhibited.
And you don't have to worry
about getting them knocked up.
You forgot to mention
financially independent.
Donna has a lot of dough.
Definitely sweetens the pot.
Had a lot of dough,
ass-wipe.
Donna was murdered last night.
She was fine when I left her.
No, I take that back.
She was satisfied.
Yeah? What time was that, Romeo?
9:15.
Can anyone back up that story?
Marion?
I picked Ben up from Donna's
at 9:15, Detectives.
Benny, Harvey, Sutton.
Donna got around.
Guess she was trying to pack a lot of living
into the days she had left.
Well, she should've had better taste in men.
I got an update on Richard Sutton.
Doc says he's still intubated, nobody can see him.
But I did some digging.
Turns out Mr. Sutton had four wives.
All four still alive?
First three died of natural causes.
Last Mrs. Sutton is still with us.
She's so sweet.
And loaded.
He knows how to pick 'em-- old and rich.
Yeah, but he doesn't know
how to treat them.
The most recent Mrs. Sutton filed a 61
for domestic violence last year.
And they didn't lock him up?
She conveniently dropped the complaint.
Where is she now?
Social Security checks go
to an address in Queens.
Alexis, I wanted to ask you
about Richard.
Who?
Your husband?
Marty was my husband.
My one true love.
He died in Korea.
I have his medals.
Sorry, Detectives, I got held up.
Your message said you wanted to talk
about Richard Sutton.
Not Richard. Marty. Marty.
President Truman sent me a telegram.
Alzheimer's?
Progressing rapidly.
No offense, Mr. Ridley, but we heard she had money.
What is she doing in a place like this?
Oh, she did,
until that snake Sutton got hold of it.
He married her,
and then he dumped her in here,
so he could live like a king.
Now, does he ever come and visit her?
Only when he needs her signature.
She is obviously in no...
I want that cracker.
...condition to sign anything.
I filed a complaint,
but nothing happened.
Husband has the right to do
what he wants with the money.
Including romancing other women?
If you call slapping around women romantic.
He hit her?
After Sutton's last visit,
I found her lying on the floor, all bruised up.
Did you report it?
I didn't see him do it,
and Alexis said she must've fallen out of bed.
This time Sutton is going
to answer my questions.
We found your wife, Mr. Sutton,
the one you stashed away
at that dump in Queens.
You want to talk about her?
I'm not surprised.
Why don't we talk about Donna Brooks then?
Is she your next target, Mr. Sutton?
What, did she reject you?
Is that why you raped
and killed her?
How did you get into the house?
Write your answer down.
The house was open?
What time were you there?
You were there
at 9:00 a.m. this morning?
Where were you at 10:00 last night?
"Home...
alone."
So, you have no alibi for when she was killed?
"Not killed last night."
How do you know that?
"Donna exercises
"a.m.
"Windows...
always... open."
Did you shut them?
"Freezing."
You turned up the heat?
Postmortem
body temp decreases roughly one degree per hour
at average room temperature.
What was Donna's body temp
when the real estate agent found her?
About 86 degrees,
which is 12 degrees below normal.
That puts time of death at 10:00 p.m.,
12 hours earlier.
Problem is, I didn't account
for the freezing apartment,
or the fact she was exercising.
So, how does that change your calculation?
The exertion from working out
depleted her adenosine triphosphate,
causing rigor to occur faster.
So the exercise sped up the rigor, and the cold caused
a rapid decline in body temperature.
But what's that add up to now?
I was wrong about the time of death.
Donna was killed early this morning.
I'd say around 6:00 a.m.
We have to reinterview all the men.
We didn't get alibis for this morning.
I've got something that might help.
I didn't find fibers in the skin of your victim's neck,
but the ligature's impression is unusual.
Does it match anything at the crime scene?
No. The killer took whatever he used with him.
You have any idea what it was?
Sorry. But the FBI has
a database.
I forwarded the image to their lab.
Well, Huang works for the Bureau.
Maybe he can expedite our search.
Thanks.
The murder weapon is a rope--
a static kernmantle.
It's used in rock climbing, it's extremely strong,
and it doesn't fray.
Well, that's why there were no fibers.
Does VICAP have any other cases
where this kind of rope was used?
I already checked, and there's 15 matches.
Tell you what.
Let's narrow this down by using our M.O., okay?
Okay. Give me the search parameters.
Victim is female,
age 60 to 80,
strangulation homicide.
In her own home.
Wow. Two matches.
And the first one is Susan Zelman,
age 65.
Killed two years ago in Brooklyn.
Second one, Claudia Wooding,
70, murdered three years ago in Piermont.
BENSON Three females over 60,
all from the Metro area,
all strangled with this static kernmantle.
We've got a serial killer preying on the elderly.
Three rich elderly women
all strangled with the same rope.
Perp's organized.
Doesn't leave a murder weapon,
no prints, no sign of forced entry.
The victims know him, so they let him in.
Or he conned 'em.
Old people make great targets.
They're lonely. They're vulnerable.
Let's keep the M.O. in-house.
Last thing we need is a copycat.
What've you got? The victims' nearest and dearest.
Claudia Wooding's son, Eddie Wooding.
Detective on the case says Eddie's a real schmuck.
Mother disinherited him after he lost
a bundle of her money in the market.
Where's Eddie now? He owns a fancy car dealership.
What about Susan Zelman?
No suspects in her murder.
She's survived by her husband Marvin.
They look at him?
He's got rheumatoid arthritis, confined to a wheelchair.
Doubt he had the strength to strangle her.
Munch, Fin, go talk to Eddie.
You two, pay a visit to Mr. Zelman.
There's got to be a link between these three women.
Apart from being dead?
I'll never forgive myself
for her death.
Why is that, Mr. Zelman?
Because I was out playing bridge.
She didn't want to go.
If I'd stayed home, this wouldn't have happened.
Mr. Zelman.
Did your wife know a Donna Brooks?
No, no, and I know all of Susan's friends.
How 'bout Claudia Wooding?
Yeah, Claudia was my mother. Why you asking?
Did she know Donna Brooks or Susan Zelman?
How the hell do I know?
If you're sniffing around,
trying to reopen my mother's murder, save your energy.
I didn't kill her. Any idea who did?
I just can't imagine anyone hurting my Susan.
Now, the police said it was probably a drug addict
looking for money.
Was anything taken?
Not a thing.
She only had $20 in her purse,
even though she had plenty of money.
Who inherited the money after she died?
Not me.
Bitch didn't leave me a dime.
Sounds like a fine motive for murder.
Oh, why bother?
She was about to kick the bucket anyway.
Lung cancer.
Your wife was sick?
She had breast cancer...
and on the very day she was killed,
the oncologist told her she was in remission.
Who was the oncologist?
Dr. Brelsford, we need your help.
It's about two of your patients:
Susan Zelman and Claudia Wooding.
Unfortunately, they both died several years ago.
Of cancer?
I believe they were both murdered.
That's quite a coincidence.
Isn't it. What's this about?
Donna Brooks. Was she a patient of yours?
No, but she was treated at this hospital.
Why are you asking about her?
She was murdered also.
I assure you, if I wanted to kill somebody,
you'd never know it was murder.
Yeah? How's that?
Because I'd know how... To cover it up?
Is that what you were going to say?
No. You make some lethal house calls
to rich old ladies?
My patients are very grateful for the quality
of care I give them.
I have no reason to kill anybody.
I'm very busy. Is that all?
No. Where were you yesterday at 6 a.m.?
At home. With who?
I live by myself.
Doctor, we have two, possibly three dead women,
all of 'em connected to you.
You're going to have to do a little better than that.
Look... lots of people are involved
in the care of cancer patients.
Like who? In the hospital,
there's a team of doctors,
nurses, social workers.
After discharge, they often use in-home care.
Who provides that?
I use RDH, run by Dr. Matt Spevak.
My patients wouldn't settle for less.
Dr. Spevak is in a meeting,
but I'm Emma Spevak, the Nurse Manager.
Are you his wife?
Sister. What can I do for you?
We need to confirm that Claudia Wooding
and Susan Zelman were clients.
I'll check.
Yes, they were.
How 'bout Donna Brooks?
Yes, she was as well.
What's this about?
They were all murdered.
Oh, my God.
Well, please tell me what you need, and I'll help you.
Did they have a caretaker in common?
Nurse DeVaal was the primary for all three.
What's going on, Emma?
This is Dr. Spevak.
Doctor, I'm Detective Stabler.
This is my partner, Detective Benson.
Hey. Oh, you must be here about Donna Brooks.
I saw it on the news.
Two other patients of yours were also killed.
Your sister says that a Nurse DeVaal treated all of 'em.
Where can we find her? Him.
Gary hasn't been with us for a few weeks now.
Why? A patient accused him of stealing.
I fired him. BENSON Which patient?
Donna Brooks.
Where is Gary
working now? Meals on Wheels.
Gary DeVaal?
Yeah?
We'd like to talk to you about Donna Brooks.
What about her? Why don't we take a ride?
Oh, Gary.
You brought friends.
We're the police, ma'am.
The police? Yeah.
Wha-What happened?
Can't stay today, Mrs. Rabinowitz.
Here's your dinner. Don't go.
No one else visits me.
I'll come back tomorrow-- I promise.
Shouldn't make promises you can't keep.
Why'd you steal
from Donna Brooks?
I didn't. The bitch is lying.
The bitch is dead, Gary.
I hated her, but I didn't kill her.
Why didn't you like her? Everyone else did.
Everyone else didn't work for her.
Getting fired was the best thing
that could've happened to me.
So why'd you keep her house keys?
Plan to pay her a visit?
I never got a chance
to return them. "To my dear husband, Larry,
with love, from Donna."
I guess you didn't have a chance to return
her dead husband's watch, either, huh?
She docked me 20 bucks for being ten minutes late.
You took a $10,000 Rolex!
Fair trade? That old bat
gave half a mil to feed the pigeons.
She didn't need the lousy watch!
You steal from them as well?
No. I'd never rip off Susan.
She was a sweetheart.
Well, how 'bout Claudia Wooding? Is she a sweetheart, too? I've never seen her
before in my life. RDH says you were her nurse.
RDH is lying! Someone's setting me up!
Check the files!
That enough to subpoena RDH's records?
Yeah, I'll get started on the paperwork,
but since DeVaal is shouting frame job,
I want the files authenticated.
Take 'em to the forensic document examiner.
We'll catch this low-life in another lie.
Keep DeVaal on ice-- I'll go check it out.
I reviewed Claudia Wooding's file.
DeVaal's signature is definitely on the nursing logs.
So DeVaal is lying.
Not necessarily.
What do you mean?
RNs have to sign off at the end of each shift.
Now, these are Claudia Wooding's case logs with, uh...
from two different dates with Gary DeVaal's signature on each.
Now watch this.
Bam. They're identical.
Yeah, but nobody signs their name
exactly the same way every time.
We call it a transposition forgery.
So someone Xeroxed DeVaal's signature
and then cut and pasted onto the files.
Which was then copied, making the paste job undetectable.
So DeVaal was right; he is being set up.
It's got to be someone at RDH.
They're the only ones with access to the victims' files.
DeVaal is a sleazeball who got fired for theft.
He's a good fall-guy.
But why kill these women?
Well, they're all rich.
They're known for their generosity.
Maybe someone made a profit off their deaths.
You're right. Someone made a mint.
I pulled copies of the victims' wills.
Who's the lucky beneficiary?
The Golden Memories Foundation.
Who gets the gold? Dr. Matt Spevak,
CEO of RDH and chairman of Golden Memories.
Well... looks like the good doctor's
been killing old ladies for their money.
I didn't kill anyone. This is outrageous.
My client is a well-known, respected physician.
Well, tell me, there, Doc,
did these women die of natural causes?
Of course not... but why would I murder them?
Oh, I can think of about a million bucks worth of reasons.
Each victim left you quite a bit of cash.
By killing them, you got your hands on it quicker.
I don't inherit their money.
The bequests go to charity for poverty-stricken seniors.
Right, Golden Memories
- Foundation. - Golden Memories
is a legitimate nonprofit organization.
Whose mission is to fleece rich old ladies.
My company's doing well. I don't need their money.
I started the foundation to give
something back. You gave three women back to God.
Does that count?
Excuse me, aren't we missing something here,
like direct evidence? Your client had access
to the victims' homes
and profited substantially from their deaths.
That's not probable cause for arrest.
Call us if you ever get any.
Matt, let's go.
Spevak's laughing at us.
I'm not going to let that bastard get away with this.
I'm not so sure Spevak's guilty.
Well, gee, Doc, do you know something that we don't,
or are you just extending Spevak
a little professional courtesy?
I'm giving you my professional opinion.
A doctor would've covered his tracks better.
Well, what do you call forging a nurse's signature?
What's his motive? Money.
Best motive in the world.
These murders were way too personal
to have been committed for profit.
Choking the life out of three elderly women is a sign of rage.
Or a sign that he couldn't get his hands on their money fast enough.
Okay, hold it-- we don't know if Spevak
got any of their money.
Where are we on his financials?
Novak says we don't have enough to subpoena his bank records.
Golden Memories is a nonprofit.
That means that his books are public record.
Have a forensic accountant see
if Spevak's cooking 'em.
Last year, Golden Memories took in 675 grand.
How much did they spend in grants?
All of it... most which went for the care
of two indigent patients:
Maria Franco and Andrea Robbins.
That's a lot of charity for two people.
Yeah, especially two dead ones.
I checked with Social Security.
Maria Franco and Andrea Robbins have been dead since '96.
Spevak's been keeping phony records and pocketing the money.
That's enough for a search warrant.
Look at this place.
Got to be at least
3000 square feet.
Beautiful view, fancy art, expensive antiques...
All of it unpaid for.
His credit cards are all maxed out.
On what?
Gambling.
Every casino from Atlantic City to Foxwoods.
Answering machine's blinking.
Probably a collection agency.
Hey, Spevak,
you're late again.
You better pay up, Doc, or we're coming over.
Doesn't sound like Master Card.
Explains why he killed the old ladies.
He needs money, fast.
Look at here.
When Spevak's not killing old folks,
he's climbing rocks.
I'll say.
Webbing, harness... belay devices.
And our murder weapon.
Can this wait?
My brother's in a meeting
with a new client.
Your brother is a suspect in three homicides.
You're wrong.
Matt would never hurt anyone.
Well, we have strong proof that he did.
It's a mistake.
There's got to be an explanation.
I'd love to hear it.
As you can see, we offer only
the highest standards of care.
You'll be looked after
in the comfort of your own home.
Emma, you'll have to wait.
I'm in the middle of something.
I know, I'm sorry, but it's...
Damn it, Emma.
I told you no interruptions.
Detectives.
Excuse me,
I'll be right back.
No, you won't.
Matt Spevak, you're under arrest for Murder
in the First Degree.
This is insane-- what the hell
did you tell them, Emma?!
Nothing, I swear, Matt.
How does the defendant plead?
Not guilty, Your Honor.
I'll hear the People on bail.
Remand.
Dr. Spevak manipulated three elderly women
out of their money and then killed them for it.
The funds have not been recovered.
He's a flight risk.
My client is a respected member of the community.
Save it, Ms. Staines.
Unfortunately for the defendant,
I have an 80-year-old mother.
I didn't kill anyone.
Bail is set
at $500,000.
Come on, doc. Let's go.
He'll plead out on the fraud, Casey.
Not enough.
He pleads to three counts of Murder Two,
I'll take the death penalty off the table.
The death penalty?
My brother is innocent.
Don't worry, Emma.
Ms. Novak is bluffing.
She has no case.
Let's post bail and get Matt out of here.
Spevak's attorney is no fool.
The fraud case is solid,
but the evidence on the murders is weak.
The Crime Lab says
the rope found in Spevak's apartment
matches the pattern on the victims' necks.
Is it the actual murder weapon?
Lab didn't find any blood or skin cells on it.
Spevak wouldn't need much rope
to strangle someone.
Three feet at most.
He cuts off a piece,
he uses it, he throws it away.
But I still can't connect him to the murders.
Everything we have is circumstantial.
Okay, what about the sister?
She runs Spevak's office,
she'd have to know about the fraud.
Maybe she's the one who forged
DeVaal's signature on the nursing logs.
That would make her a co-conspirator.
So let's bring her in for a chat.
Special Victims.
What's going on?
Gal from the nursing agency was attacked.
Looks like she was nearly choked to death.
She conscious?
Yeah. We called for a bus,
but she says she's all right.
The EMTs are checking her out.
Ms. Spevak,
can you talk?
Yes.
Who did this to you?
I don't know.
I'm fine now really.
Look, you need to get to a hospital
to make sure that you're okay.
Well, I'm a nurse.
I can take care of this.
Emma? Emma, listen to me.
This guy nearly killed you.
I can't... I can't...
Was it your brother?
He's been under so much stress.
He said he needed some money.
When I told him I wouldn't give him any more,
he freaked out.
He didn't mean it.
Please, don't hurt him.
Looks like the doctor's gonna split.
Why don't you cut the bedrooms?
Bedroom's clear.
Clear.
Maybe he had a few errands
to run first, like choking his sister.
Or getting cash.
He's tapped out with the loan sharks.
Posting bail would have cleaned him out.
But he knows plenty of rich old ladies.
Let's see if he called any of them.
Caller ID.
Someone called at 5:05 a.m.
Vivian Calas.
Police. Search warrant.
Spevak, Police. Show yourself.
I'll get back.
Clear.
In the bedroom.
She's dead.
So is Matt Spevak.
Sorry, Doc, but there is your serial killer.
He just picked the wrong victim this time.
So, the old lady killed him?
Vivian Calas shot Spevak in the heart.
Bled out in seconds.
Well, she must have been pretty good with a gun.
Not that good.
From the trajectory of the bullet,
I'd say she's on the bed,
pulls a gun out of the night stand,
fires once and misses,
then takes a lucky shot
and hits him.
Why lucky?
Detectives arrived at 9:00 this morning.
Spevak's blood had congealed.
That takes at least three hours.
None of the lights were on when we got here.
She shot him in the dark.
CSU found this jewelry in Spevak's pockets.
Vivian called Spevak.
He rushes on over here.
He uses the opportunity
to rip her off for some travel cash.
He takes the jewelry.
He's gonna strangle her,
but she has a little surprise for him--
nine-mill Lady Smith and Wesson.
Registered in her name.
She shoots him, dies of fright.
M.E. says that the left hand side
of her body was contracted.
Uh, cause of death was a stroke.
I don't see any medications here
for hypertension or blood thinners.
She doesn't look like
she has any risk factors for a stroke.
She's an 80-year-old
woman with a man in her bedroom
trying to kill her.
He scared her to death.
Well, if she's so scared, then how'd she get a shot off
in the dark that hit him right in the heart?
Stroke doesn't make sense.
Vivian Calas did have a stroke,
but it wasn't caused by fear.
Puncture mark on her neck.
I missed it at first because her skin is so wrinkled.
What was she injected with?
The tox screen came back negative,
so my guess is air.
How would air kill her?
An air embolus injected
into the carotid artery would cause a stroke.
The embolus acts like a clot,
blocking the blood flow to the brain.
No syringe was found
at the crime scene. Look, we know
Matt Spevak didn't die of natural causes,
and now you're telling us
she didn't, either?
Had to have been a third person in that room.
Only a health professional would know about an air embolus
and be able to do it properly.
There's one other person with access
to RDH files, keys and patients.
Spevak's sister, Emma.
Why Emma?
Maybe she and Matt were in on the murders together.
She finds out that Matt is going to run
and leave her to face the music.
Emma kills Vivian Calas,
then calls Matt from her house to come over.
Tells him that Vivian is sick.
When Matt gets there, Emma shoots him.
She puts the old lady's fingerprints on the gun,
on the phone, and then makes it look
like Matt tried to rob her.
Except Emma said Matt was the one
who strangled her.
But that doesn't play, because Matt was dead
two hours before Emma called 911.
So then, who tried to strangle Emma?
Emma strangled Emma.
She's smart enough
to kill someone with air.
It's easy to choke herself.
It's gonna be tough to prove.
And we're gonna need the syringe
with Emma's prints to tie her to Vivian Calas's murder.
Chances are, Emma dumped it.
I looked at the autopsy photos
of the first three victims.
Strangle me.
I'll try.
I'll hold the rope.
The first three original victims were
between five-five and five-seven.
Matt Spevak was nearly six feet tall.
Pull.
Look at the angle of the rope.
Upwards from front to back.
Which is exactly the way that it should be,
given Matt Spevak's height
and natural arm movement.
Oh. Switch places with me.
Okay. The impression angles downward.
That's what you would expect
if the perp was shorter than the victim.
Just like the person
who strangled Claudia,
Donna and Susan.
All angled downward.
Emma Spevak is only five foot three.
She killed them all.
Your rope trick's not going
to be enough, Doc.
We need a confession from Emma,
or she walks on five murders.
Emma, we need to talk.
Can you please come back later?
I'm just not up to talking right now.
We know you've been through a lot.
This won't take long.
I've been mourning my brother.
I can't believe that he's dead.
Mom's gone, too.
All I have are these.
That's you with your brother?
And Mom.
You really loved her.
How long has she been gone?
Seven years.
What'd she die of?
A stroke.
You said you needed to talk.
About what?
Matt's death.
To be honest, we're a little confused,
and you could really help us out here.
All right.
Now, why don't we start with your attack?
I think I've told you everything already.
Tell us again.
Now, who choked you?
My brother.
Why are you torturing me like this?
Well, see our problem is,
that when EMS found you, Matt was already dead.
Well, I passed out.
I-I didn't call 911 until I came to.
You-You think I'm
making this up?
Well, what should we think, Emma?
That Matt tried to kill me.
Matt murdered Vivian Calas.
No, we've ruled him out.
Matt did not murder Vivian.
Who did then?
Oh, we don't know.
That's why we're asking you.
Well, if I think of anything
I'll be sure to call you right away.
So, Emma killed her mother, too?
She died of a stroke, just like Vivian Calas.
How much you want to bet it was caused by an air embolus?
But how are we going to prove it?
We have to exhume her body.
I need more than that.
You got to check out Emma's house.
The place is like a shrine to her mother.
So, she loved her--
that's hardly grounds for an exhumation.
The point I'm making is that Mommy didn't reciprocate.
Matt got all the attention.
And so now, she's killing old women
to get back at Mom for not loving her.
Yeah, but if Emma knows how to kill with air,
why is she changing her M.O.
to strangulation with a rope?
It was her brother's climbing rope.
She set him up.
Sibling rivalry.
So Mom really was Emma's first victim.
Most serial killers start close to home.
Well, if I can establish
that Emma's mother really did die
of an air-induced stroke,
then we've got our probable cause.
Yeah, but Emma's not gonna fry herself
by letting us dig up her mother.
You know any friendly judges?
What the hell do you want?
I'm so sorry to bother you at home,
Judge Terhune, but it's urgent.
Well, I'm in the middle
of something pretty important myself.
Joe, are you folding this hand?
No! No. C-Come on.
Come on in, all right?
Come on.
I just need Your Honor's signature.
You hit the jackpot, Dearie.
I'm in.
I believe you all know ADA Novak.
Judge Ridenour, Judge Petrovsky,
Judge Wyler, Judge Bradley.
I've had this nightmare before,
only I was naked.
Charming.
What could be so important
that it couldn't wait until morning?
An exhumation order.
You better sign it, Joe.
Corpse might be a flight risk.
Your Honor, this body may be the key
to solving six murders.
I'm in.
And I take it
the family won't consent, hmm?
The suspect is the sole survivor.
We want to exhume her mother.
Raise.
We think she killed her, too.
Was the mom's death ruled a homicide?
No, but we have new evidence.
And you want me to disturb
the sanctity of the dead on your say-so?
I have a very convincing but long argument.
It'll disturb the sanctity
of your poker game.
Thank you.
Go. Go. Go, go.
What are the chances of finding a needle mark
after seven years?
New York State law requires all cadavers be embalmed.
The skin should still be intact.
Whenever you're ready.
What kind of family engraves the name of their kids
into their headstone before they die?
A really close one?
Check that out.
Matthew and Emma-- born May 9, 1971.
They're twins.
Fraternal twins.
I checked the hospital records.
Emma Spevak was born two minutes
after her brother Matt.
Man, she's been following
in his footsteps her whole life.
Always trying to catch up,
but never able to.
That's why she used the rope.
She hates her brother, but she's bound to him.
This is all fascinating,
but it doesn't help us send Emma upstate.
This will.
Margaret Spevak's mummified neck.
And a small
needle mark in the carotid artery.
Emma killed her mother with an air embolus.
Can you prove it?
No.
Emma doesn't know that.
Be careful.
She's spent her whole life
hating her mother.
If you confront her with what she's done,
she's never going to talk.
Okay. So, what, empathy?
She's going to need more than empathy.
She's going to need an ally.
So, how do we do that?
Reenact the sibling rivalry.
Can I get you something to drink?
I'm okay.
Why did I have to come down here?
Uh, we wanted to apologize to you.
Personally.
Apologize? For what?
For dragging you into this.
Emma,
we've made a terrible mistake.
What kind of mistake?
We searched Matt's apartment.
And we found his rock-climbing equipment.
His rope matches the strangulation mark
on those poor women's necks.
I understand.
You were just doing your job.
We are so sorry.
Am I free to go?
Yeah.
Come here. Come here.
Come here!
What are you doing?
Are you apologizing to her?
What do you care?
What do I care? I'm in charge.
My case, remember?
Elliot, this is our case.
Please don't talk to me like this in front of her.
We're equals. Right.
Did she bring you down here? Yeah?
You bring her down here, so you can take the credit?
No, I brought her down here 'cause I knew
that you wouldn't apologize.
Well, you're damn right about that.
We wouldn't even be here
if Emma had the guts to open her mouth.
What are you talking about?
You knew what was going on.
You knew your brother was up to his ass
in gambling debts and using the foundation
to cover himself.
You did nothing about it,
and you went right along with him.
No!
You're a liar. Elliot.
You protect your brother, and he almost kills you.
You're pathetic.
I loved my brother.
Elliot, leave her alone.
Shut up.
You know what the problem is?
Women shouldn't be cops.
They shouldn't be doctors.
They're too weak and stupid.
I'm sorry about that.
Does he always talk to you like that?
You heard him.
He's in charge.
I'm sure you know how it is.
Do I ever.
I was always the good girl.
Always the helper.
Emma, do this.
Emma, do that.
I know how you feel.
My mother was a drunk.
And I had to carry her into her bed every night.
I've had to scoop the vomit off the floor.
I thought I'd never escape.
But you did.
Yeah, after she died.
It's the only time that I ever felt free.
Mothers are all the same.
You try to be good to them,
and all they do is treat you like dirt.
You're a nurse. You're a caregiver.
I'm sure you were great to your mother.
She had cancer.
I took care of her for five years.
Five years?
Where was your brother?
Matt was off in medical school.
And then doing his residency.
Mama used all of her money to pay for it.
Oh, and I'm sure he didn't appreciate it.
I'm sure he just took you for granted.
He made me work for him.
He made me take care of all those women
that were just like Mama.
Wash my clothes, walk my dog, clean my fridge.
A girl can only take so much.
They thought that my brother was a god.
I took care of them.
I did all the work.
You had to do something.
Yes.
With Matt's rope.
Then I was free.
Just like with your mother.
Yes.
How did you do it, Emma?
With a little shot of air.
It always worked so quickly.
What do you mean?
When I was in nursing school, I'd see daughters
by their mothers' beds, trapped,
watching their lives disappear.
So, you helped them.
I set them free.
How many were there?
Dozens.
Do you remember any of their names?
They were all called Mama.
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