Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – The Accuser

By starrymag | April 17, 2025

By: Kaylyn Bell

 

Eddie (Todd A. Horman) is working in his shop late as his last employee, Carl (Manuel Herrera), heads out for the day. Eddie asks him to leave the door unlocked when he leaves. Later, someone approaches Eddie from behind and hits him in the head with a metal rod.

Outside the shop, a father and son, Nate (Erik Palladino) and Sam (Caleb Malis), are trying to reach Eddie to collect Sam’s last paycheck. Nate realizes the door is unlocked and instructs his son to go in, apologize to his boss, and maybe even get his job back. Sam says he doesn’t want his job back but is encouraged in by his father. Sam walks to the back of the shop to discover Eddie chained to a pole, unconscious, naked, and bleeding, with numbers, “6-15-01” carved into his back. He yells out for his dad, who calls the police.

Velasco (Octavio Pisano), Curry (Aimé Donna Kelly), Bruno (Kevin Kane), and Fin (Ice-T) arrive at the scene where an officer fills them in that the victim is already off to the hospital as he was hit in the head and sodomized with an object. She directs them to Sam, who found Eddie, and Bruno points out it’s odd he would be showing up at work so late. Fin tells Curry and Velasco to search the shop for the object used while he and Bruno speak to Sam.

Sam tells Fin and Bruno that he was an apprentice at the shop until he made a mistake and Eddie yelled at him, so he quit. He explains he was just here tonight to get his last paycheck. Nate says that he told his son to come right after school but he got distracted. Sam says he was with his girlfriend (Lyla Tsiokos) until his dad called, upset that he hadn’t gone to the shop yet.

Curry and Velasco update Fin and Bruno that they found Eddie’s phone, and Fin tells them to send it to TARU. Curry adds that they gathered he’s divorced and not in any financial trouble, so he’s overall not a very remarkable guy. The detectives point out that it is exceedingly rare for an older man to be sexually assaulted, so it must be personal.

The next day, the squad fills Captain Benson (Mariska Hargitay) in on the case. Curry is skeptical a teenage boy would attack, sodomize, and carve a date into someone’s back. Benson says either way, the date meant something to someone. She instructs them to check Sam and Nate’s alibis and find someone in Eddie’s life who would want to send him a message.

Velasco and Curry speak with Carl at the crime scene. He says he doesn’t know anything other than what the cops told him when he arrived at work. Velasco asks if any employees have ever complained about him and Carl says no, he’s a good man.

Bruno and Fin arrive at Sam’s girlfriend’s home. She confirms that she saw him yesterday after school, but only until 4pm.

Back at the precinct, they inform Benson that Nate was at work as he claimed, but Sam lied about his alibi. Curry tells them that Eddie’s phone records show he called Sam 10 times last night, but Sam never called back despite showing up at his shop later. Benson directs them to bring Sam in.

Bruno and Fin take Sam, accompanied by his father, into interrogation and ask him to come clean because they know he wasn’t with his girlfriend. After some pushing from the detectives and his dad, Sam admits he was in the park thinking. Bruno asks why Eddie called him ten times last night, and Sam claims he doesn’t know. Nate asks if he’s lying, and Sam is adamant he’s not. 

ADA Carisi (Peter Scanavino) arrives at the precinct to receive case updates. They explain that Sam’s timeline is sketchy, but the only evidence they have is the retrieved carving object, and only Eddie’s prints are on it. Curry announces that Eddie is out of surgery and conscious. Benson tells them to find out if June 15th means anything to him.

Bruno and Fin arrive at the hospital, where the doctor (Shavanna Calder) informs them that whoever did it wanted to ensure it would leave a scar and that they can go speak to Eddie. Eddie says his memory isn’t very clear, but he never saw his assailant. He says the date is insignificant, and he doesn’t know anyone who would do this to him. He asks if they’re blaming him for getting attacked and they explain they’re just trying to find a motive since statistically he is the least likely to be targeted.

Velasco and Curry visit Eddie’s ex-wife, Jenny (Kate Middleton). She says the date is insignificant to her and she has no hard feelings against Eddie. She explains he took the divorce well and that he doesn’t have much of a relationship with his three kids because they’re busy with their own lives.

The squad reconvenes at the station to report that they can’t find anyone who would do this to their victim. Benson tells them to keep digging into Eddie’s life because it has to be personal. Bruno gets a text from Sam asking to meet him in the park. Benson tells him to take backup, but he says Sam will be more forthcoming if he’s alone.

Bruno meets Sam at the park, and Sam tells him he’s in trouble. Bruno assures him that he will help with whatever is worrying him. Sam says he’s afraid it’s his fault then discloses that Eddie was sexually abusing him, and he just let him do it. Bruno tells him it’s not his fault and it happens to lots of people. Sam counters that it happens to girls but not guys, and Bruno promises him it doesn’t work like that. Sam says he tried to avoid Eddie, but it was usually just him and Eddie at the shop. Bruno explains that Eddie set it up that way. Sam confesses that he’s worried his dad will blame him, but Bruno says that he is not the adult here, Eddie is, and he was grooming him. Bruno promises to help him tell his dad and assures him it will be okay.

Bruno rushes to Benson’s apartment to inform her that Sam didn’t do this, but there’s a reason he might’ve wanted to.

Benson updates Carisi about Sam’s disclosure. Carisi says they’ve got motive then, but Benson explains that Sam is no longer a suspect because cameras show him in the park that night as he claimed. Benson tells him they have no new suspects, but it’s unlikely Sam is Eddie’s first victim, so they’re looking into that.

Benson brings Bruno and Carisi into her office and asks if they can make a case against Eddie. Carisi says that if Sam is willing to testify, then yes. Bruno tells them that Sam doesn’t want to tell his dad or testify but Benson says that because Sam is a minor, they will have to inform his parents.

Bruno and Benson bring Sam and his parents in and explain that Sam is not in any trouble, but he is a victim. His mom (Mary Pursell) asks what they’re talking about, and Bruno encourages him to talk. Sam tells them the real reason he quit the shop and says he lied because he didn’t want them to be mad. They promise they’re not mad and they’re going to help him. Benson suggests a counselor for their family and for Sam. Nate asks if that’s why Eddie was attacked, and Bruno explains they think it’s possible Eddie has other victims. Benson says they would like to prosecute him for what he did to Sam, but that means he’d have to testify unless their ADA can make a deal. Sam is hesitant, but Nate tells him Eddie deserves to go to prison for what he did.

Fin updates Benson that Curry found an old arrest record from 2002 for sexual abuse in the third but, since she was a minor her name wasn’t listed. He says the case is sealed, but it’s probably sitting in a warehouse somewhere. Benson tells him to send Velasco and Curry to track it down, and she’ll have Carisi get a warrant for access to the file.

Velasco and Curry return from the warehouse to inform Benson that Eddie’s sex abuse case went to trial in 2004 and he was acquitted. She asks them about the Jane Doe victim, and Velasco says she was 11 during the trial but 8 when the abuse started in 2001. Benson scans over the file and sees that the jury didn’t believe her. Eddie was still married to Jenny during that time, so they think she’s the fastest way to find out more.

Velasco and Curry arrive at the bar Jenny works at to ask her more questions, including why she’s lying to the cops. She tells them that girl was lying for attention because she had a bad homelife. Curry asks if that’s what she tells herself so she could stay married to him for 25 years with three kids in the house. She asks her to think about why her kids want nothing to do with him and Jenny replies, “He wouldn’t have the stones to mess where he eats.” Curry asks for the name of the victim and where they can find her.

Benson looks at the victim, Angela Jones’ (Carolyn Fagerholm) arrest file. Angela has been in prison for the last five years for drug possession and was paroled three days before Eddie’s attack. Benson asks for Angela’s history since the trial. The squad says her life went downhill; she was arrested for drugs in her teens and was in and out of psych wards and juvie. Benson instructs them to talk to her and also Eddie to see if he can identify her in a lineup.

Carisi follows Benson into her office, and she expresses frustration that the jury let Eddie go free because they didn’t believe an 11-year-old. She says she understands they didn’t have the same understanding of how trauma affects memory then that they do now, but it drives her crazy that had he been on trial now, Angela’s life could’ve been so different.

Fin and Bruno show Eddie six pictures, and all he says is, “You’ve got to be kidding, this wasn’t a woman.” They confront him about Angela and Sam and he calls the kids liars and tells the detectives to leave.

Velasco asks Curry if she really thinks Angela did this, and she says June 15th was the date noted that Angela was first abused, and she’s been carrying it all these years. They arrive at Angela’s apartment, and she runs, but they cut her off and arrest her.

The squad watches Angela through the interrogation window. She refuses a lawyer or to talk, and Benson acknowledges it’s because she has nothing to lose. Carisi says he can’t help her if she won’t talk. Benson enters and introduces herself and Carisi and asks the officer to remove Angela’s handcuffs. Angela says she was best friends with Eddie’s daughter, and she believed her, but no one else did. Benson tells her she believes her too. Benson continues that Eddie is alive but permanently scarred, and he’ll never forget that date. Angela replies, “That makes two of us,” and confesses she did it but feels no guilt. She explains that she looked him up when she got out and saw that he was just living an ordinary life, and she had enough. Benson says by doing this it lets guys like that win, but Angela remarks that he already won. She says she remembers him every day, even on her best ones, and he has scarred her every day since. She asks if she’s going back to prison because if she is, it was worth it.

Sam walks into the precinct, and Bruno leads him to a private room to talk. Sam says he made an appointment with the therapist Benson recommended because he wants to face this. He asks Bruno if he’s going to end up like Angela, and Bruno assures him that the therapist will work with him to make sure he’s okay.

Benson and Carisi meet with Angela and her lawyer (Asa James) at the DA’s office to discuss a deal. Carisi explains that because of her history, they can reduce the charges and offers them felony assault two, which would mean no jail time but a mandatory psych program and continued parole. Angela’s lawyer accepts the plea.

Benson asks Carisi if they’ll ever be able to stop the cycle of abuse. Carisi says no, but they agree that it won’t stop them from trying.