"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." "So the man who attacked you was black?" "Yes." "Young." "About six-foot." "And what was he wearing?" "A hoodie and a baseball cap." "He's black, tall, in his 20s." " And he followed you?" " Yeah." "He was right behind me." "I barely saw his face." "I walked faster and put my key in my door." "But he was right there." "Did he say anything to you?" "He said, "I know you want it."" "Then he pushed me into my doorway, threw me to the ground, said he had a gun." "Did you see a gun?" "I felt it against my back." "Then he raped me." "And he used a condom?" "Yes." "Do you mean there's no way that you can prove it was him?" "We'll get him." "Two upper West Side vics, both single white women over 40, raped in their doorways." "Their attacker's young, black, male." "Six-foot, wears a hoodie and a baseball cap." " Well, that narrows it down." " They were push-ins." "He said he had a gun, said, "I know you want it."" "No extra points for originality." "No, but I think we're looking at a serial." "Same m.O., same verbiage." "I think we need a sketch artist down here now." "Now?" "No." "We've already spent enough overtime on those missing girls." "We'll do it first thing in the morning." "Get some rest." "Both of you." "[Dog barks in distance]" "[Distant sirens wail]" "Hey, gorgeous." "What's the matter?" "You gonna smile for me?" "[Grunts]" "[Breathes heavily]" "[Grunts]" "[Whispers] I'm sorry." "Okay." "Law  Order:" "SVU 15x03" " American Tragedy" "Guys says stuff like that to me all the time and I just..." "I went off on him?" "I'm a New York City cop." "I can't go around beating people up." "Remember what we talked about last session?" "Yes, how I was upset that Lewis got the drop on me, how I should've reached for my gun." "But this is different." "This wasn't Lewis." "No, I hear you beating yourself up." "First for under-reacting to Lewis, now for overreacting to this guy." "I can't get anything right." "I'm all over the place." ""All over the place."" "If a crime victim said that to detective Olivia Benson, less than three months after an assault, what would you say to her?" "I'd say that survivors can experience a wide range of reactions, from stress to fear to numbness." " Depression, anger, flashbacks?" " All of the above." " Have you ever known someone to take a self-defense course or to obtain a gun or resolve never to be a victim again?" "Of course." "So you might see this kind of overreaction to be emotionally triggered, and you might tell her that over time, she'll recognize those triggers and temper her responses." "[Groans]" "And what if she doesn't believe me?" "Well, then you might ask her to forgive herself and remember she's going through a process and that healing takes time." "This sketch is useless." "It's a start, fin." "And we're checking traffic cams on riverside drive." "Any forensics on this guy?" "No DNA on either vic." "He used a condom, left no traces." "He sounds like a pro." "Any recently released sex offenders?" "None that match the sketch." "But the lab did get a hit on the condom lubricant." "It's a brand called sultan ecstasy." "Sold in every bodega in the city." "Hey, sorry I'm late." "You're allowed, Liv." "Please don't say that." "This sketch is useless." "That's what I said." "You never know." "Give it a shot." "Alert the media, the neighborhood, and maybe we'll catch a break." "It's too late." "Can you describe him?" "He was African-American..." "In a hoodie." "When I got to my front door, he put a gun against my back, said..." ""I know you want it."" "You saw the gun?" "I felt it." "He pulled up my skirt, threw me face down on the floor while he..." "Put on a condom." "He raped me." "I begged him to stop, but he just started beating me." "Okay, everybody." "Listen up." "We're looking for a serial on the upper West Side." "All three rapes occurred within a half a mile within each other between the hours of 10:00 and 1:00." " The suspect's a six-foot black male, wears a hoodie and a cap." "Follows single women home, pushes his way in." "He's escalating." "He's getting more violent." "We need every block covered." "Buildings, storefronts, bus stops." "There's a tip line set up, number's on the flyer." "He may be carrying sultan ecstasy condoms." "He may be armed." "You know the drill." "250s, 250s, 250s." "Stop-and-frisk till we get this guy." "[Indistinct radio chatter]" "How long this gonna take, man?" "What?" "You late for the opera?" "I already got a cop-and-feel from one of you people this afternoon." "Good, then you know what comes next." " Live around here, Homey?" " Close enough, man." "Got any I.D.?" "I don't have to give you that." "How about you put your hands up?" "What do you want?" "[Indistinct radio chatter]" "Huh." "It's a nicely rolled blunt." "Party tonight?" "[Gunshot in distance]" "[Sirens wail]" "Drop the gun!" "Put the gun down now!" " Drop it!" " He was attacking me!" "[Gun clatters] Hands up." "See your hands." "Step back." "Step back, ma'am." "Put your hands up and step back." "Back up." "I got a pulse." "Put a rush on a bus." "Riverside and 87th street." "victim appears likely." "He was following me." "He was gonna rape me." "Suspect's Mehcad Carter, he's 16, he was shot once in the chest by the vic." "He's still in surgery, his parents are on the way." " 16?" "Did he have a gun?" " No." "We recovered a cell phone from his pocket." "Well, what about the victim?" "Ms. Jolene Castille, the celebrity chef." "She told us that she shot him in self-defense." "Is this kid our serial?" "Similar M.O. and description." "We're waiting on an I.D. From the other vics." "The parents..." "I know they're worried about their son, but find out what he was doing in that neighborhood." "Mr. and Mrs. Carter." "How did our son get shot?" "We're trying to sort that out now." "He's a good kid." " Never any trouble." " I-I want to see Mehcad." "Well, he's still in surgery." "We've actually like to ask you some questions while you wait." "I don't understand." "My boy's been shot." "Who did it?" "Why?" "Why?" "I told you." "He tried to rape me." "Okay, so..." "Why don't we start at the beginning?" "Well, I was on my way ho from a benefit." "My driver pulled over to let me walk on the Avenue." "I just wanted some fresh air." "And when did you first see the suspect?" "When I turned on my street." "He was just following me." "He had on a dark hoodie, exactly what's on the poster." "So, then what happened?" "I asked him what he wanted." "He didn't answer." "He just kept coming." "I went through my brownstone gate, and he did too." "I said, "get back, go back."" " Did he respond?" " No." "He had his hand in his pocket." "I thought he had a gun." "So I pulled out my pistol." "A Smith  Wesson .38." "Yes, I have a carry permit." "I pointed my gun at him and yelled," ""stop!" "Get back!"" "But he just kept coming." "He lunged." "He assaulted you physically?" "No, he didn't get a chance to." "I was terrified." "I knew he was gonna rape me." "I shot him once to stop him." "It was horrible." "I've never shot a person before." "Ms. Castille, the boy you shot is in critical condition." "The boy?" "But he will recover, won't he?" "Oh, God." "I had to do it." "I had no choice." "This woman claims our son was threatening her?" "That's not possible." "You live in Harlem?" "Do you have any idea why he was in the West 80s at 10:30?" "Probably walking home." "He plays basketball down near the boat basin." "It's about three miles." "That's a long walk." "Well, he usually takes the subway or the m5." "And Mehcad does live with you?" "Of course he does." "He's 16." "Is he home most nights?" "During the school year, he's home studying." "In the summer, it's..." "Right, he was playing basketball tonight." "How about last night, Monday?" "Yes." "He... he went out." "And Saturday?" "Yes." "Can you tell us what time he got home those nights?" "Wh-what are you saying?" "We... we saw on the news those other women were raped." "Are... are you thinking it was Mehcad?" "We have her version." "We're just starting our investigation." "Absolutely not." "My son's an honor student." "He's not a rapist." "And if that wo..." "If she's saying Mehcad tried to rape her, she's lying." "This woman shot our son in cold blood." "You need to arrest her." "My boy... he didn't do this." "He's her in the same hospital?" "We don't know if it's him." "And there's a police guard outside the icu." "I can see the press outside my window." "They won't talk to you." "Don't worry." "It's just..." "If you feel up to it, there's some photos I'd like you to look at." "Okay, but you have him, don't you?" "I'm sorry." "It was dark." "I didn't see his face clearly." "I'm just not positive." "It's okay." "All right, we'll be in touch." "Okay." "[Buzzer]" "No go." "Bethenny couldn't make the I.D." "Chloe picked Mehcad's photo out right away." "So did Aubrey." "Okay, we've got two vic I.D.S, one vic shoots him in the act, but there's no gun on the suspect?" "None of the other women saw the gun." "Whatever he threatened them with was hidden." "Well, probably the same pocketed cell phone he threatened Jolene with." "Find anything on that cell phone?" "The usual messages about hooking up, hanging out." "But the GPS puts him in the West 80s every night that rapist hit." "Anyone think that's a coincidence?" "His parents say that he went downtown to Riverside Park summer nights to play basketball." "And they can't or won't confirm what time he got home." "Does he have a record?" "No, he's an honor student." "Church choir." "And everybody who knows him says he's a good kid." "We've all heard that one before." "It's amazing how much trouble these honor students get into." "Does Jolene Castille's story hold up?" "She did sound genuinely terrified." "I mean, I know that he's only 16, but he is six-foot." "She shouts, "stop!" He doesn't." "Bang." "He was wearing earbuds." "He stalked her, right?" "Empty street, it was dark." "I believe that she was in fear for her life." "A rich, white celebrity shoots a black teenager." "The papers are already hailing her as the raging' cajun." "Let's just make sure this kid is the rapist." "Thank you so much for coming in, Ms. Castille." "Mr. Cohen." "Hello." "I hear you've I.D.'D Mehcad Carter as the West Side rapist." "Yeah, detectives are working the case..." "Julie." "I was shocked to hear he's only 16." "He seemed so much older." "You were close enough to see his face?" "Absolutely." "And when you first saw the suspect," " he was following you?" " Yes." "I asked him what he wanted." "He didn't say a word." "Just kept coming." "Faster I walked, the faster he walked." "When did you tell him to get back?" "Once on the street, once at my gate." "Could you tell if he could hear you?" "He was wearing earbuds." "Hold on, hold on." "How would she know that?" "He was also wearing a hoodie." "I yelled loudly." "He smiled at me." "He didn't say a word." "I felt in fear for my life." "I pulled out my revolver." "And that's when he lunged at you?" "Take your time." "Okay." "He opened my gate." "I said, "get back."" "He had his hand in his pocket." "I thought it was a gun." "I pulled out my revolver and said to him, "get back," again." "But he just kept coming." "I shot him." "Approximately how far away was he?" "Less than a yard?" "Maybe one or two feet." "Hmm, a foot or two." "Close enough to see your revolver?" "Now listen." "He could've turned, left." "But he lunged." "He got shot in the chest." "Not the back." "The chest." "I'm sorry for his parents." "But I'd do it again if I had to." "Those other women are mistaken." "I have known Mehcad and his family his whole life." "Do you have any video or DNA?" "We're still working the case." "That means no." "He wouldn't have attacked anyone." "His cell puts him in the vicinity of all three rapes." "He was just playing basketball." "Mr. and Mrs. Carter..." "[Sighs]" "I know Mehcad." "He didn't do this." "[Sobs] No!" "What?" " No!" " What?" "Not my baby!" " No!" " Not my baby!" "[Sobbing]" "No, no!" "This isn't true." "He's not dead." "He's not dead." "Oh, God." "[Sobbing]" "Fin, we got one in progress." "What do we got here, Willie?" "You use this gun to rape anyone else?" "I didn't rape nobody." "They wanted it." "Yeah." "You do too." "[Chuckles]" "Don't you, bitch?" "Shut up." "Oh!" "[Groans]" "Let's go." "Get in the car." "This guy claimed to live off on her." "Now is right that he's a liar." "She was screaming 'cause wanted it." "And that gun was planted." "You're on parole in Detroit." "What are you even doing here?" "Got a job." "Recycling oil and lard." "Yeah?" "Did you collect any oil Monday night?" "You talkin' about those West Side rapes?" "[Scoffs] You won't find my DNA there." "Besides, the papers says that boy, you know, the one who got shot, he's the one who did 'em." "We got a problem here, Nick." "Go tell Barba." "Willie Smith, level three sex offender." "Just paroled in Michigan." "The rapes fit his old M.O." "He's been sleeping at a shelter for the last two weeks that is within ten blocks of each rape." "Any chance that we're looking at a copycat?" "Had to ask." "What about the two victims who I.D.'D Mehcad?" "Similar look." "And cross-race I.D.S..." "So how about we bring them back in and see if they can I.D. Willie in a lineup?" "And if they do, then they'll have I.D.'D two different suspects." "That just about defines reasonable doubt." "So you don't want us to bring them in?" "I don't know." "There's the one vic who did not I.D. Mehcad." "Bring her in first." "Just throw out the other two cases?" "Do we have anything else to tie him to them other than M.O. And cross-race I.D.S?" "Willie said that he recycles cooking oil." "And we should get CSU to check their clothing and his for lard, oil residue." "And if we do get a match..." "Jolene may have shot an innocent kid." "Question is, did she know that?" "Tell Warner I need that autopsy." "Now." "[Gasps]" "It's him." "Number two." "It's him." "Even though you didn't see his face?" "It's not his face." "I stared at those hands the whole time he..." "Oh, my God." "What is it, Chloe?" "It wasn't the other boy." "It's him, number two." "Ugh, I can feel him on me." "Smell the oil." "Oil?" "Rancid oil, like a fast food place." "My God, that poor boy who got shot..." "They were both black and hoodies." "Please don't think I'm a racist." "Kids can survive incredible trauma, but when they crump, they crump quick." "Crump?" "All the vitals go South all at once." "So we're looking at a homicide?" "Is getting shot what killed him?" "Yeah." " Jolene said that she fired in self-defense." "I can't speak to that." "But there was no fouling or stippling on his body." "He wasn't that close to her." "Is it possible the stippling disappeared during surgery?" "It can't." "Stippling burns into skin." "What about on the clothing?" "You mean after ems, the evidence mangling service, cut his clothes off through the bullet hole?" "I will hunt them down and kill them." "Melinda..." "Sorry." "Jolene said that he was a foot away." "Well, she's either lying or confused." "Find out which one it is." "Fin, before you go to Chez Jolene, you might want to use our men's room." "Come again?" "My ex's nephew worked there." "When the kitchen toilet broke, she wouldn't let "the help"" "use the customer restroom." "They had to use a diner across the street." "Thanks." "Summer, lunchtime." "This place is packed." "She's becoming a damn folk hero." "Detective Benson." "How nice to see you." "Oh, hello." "This is detective Tutuola." "SVU." " Nice place." " Thank you." "Can I get you a table?" "Actually, we just have a few questions." "Okay, let's take this in the back." "Okay." "I saw you caught another rapist." "This new suspect may be responsible for all the West Side rapes." "But what about the victims who I.D.'D my attacker?" "Well, sometimes victims could get details wrong." "They can misapprehend the situation." "I didn't misapprehend one iota." "That boy kept coming." "I had to shoot him." "When you fired, how far away was he?" "Close." "Right on me." "This close?" "Close enough to touch you?" "Get your hands off me!" "[Sighs] I'm sorry." "Please, I'm still a little jumpy." "You understand." "Our M.E., she thinks that Mehcad was farther away than you're remembering." "Well, she wasn't there, was she, honey?" "That boy was gonna rape me." "He said, "I know you want it."" "You never told us that before." "I wasn't comfortable with his patois." "You think just because you've caught a black rapist, he's the only one?" "[Crowd chanting] No justice, no peace." "No justice, no peace." "No justice, no peace." "No justice, no peace." "No justice, no peace." "Yes, sir." "I do know what a long, hot summer is." "Understood." "[Phone beeps] D.A. suddenly concerned?" "I guess it's an election year." "No comment." "So..." "Willie Taylor." "He's good for all the West Side rapes?" "Palm oil, olive oil, peanut oil, and lard on Willie and the vics." "Mehcad was just a kid in a hoodie." "Wrong place, wrong time." "Wrong skin." "Okay." "Devil's advocate." "What was he doing in that neighborhood?" "His friends told us that he lost his metrocard." "He was walking home." "Okay, then why did he follow her to the gate?" "His parents said he liked watching the cooking channel." "Maybe he recognized Jolene, wanted an autograph." "And Jolene, she's still sticking to her story?" "Try embellishing." "Now she's claiming that Mehcad told her," ""you know you want it."" "The day after it was leaked to the press." "How'd she react to the M.E. Report?" "She doubled down." "Even though not one neighbor heard her scream." "Her story's a house of cards." "But she's just still hiding behind self-defense." "Self-defense?" "More like a hate crime." "Look, what we saw..." "This feels racially motivated." "Mm." "And if it is, she'll have a history." "Find it." "This isn't going away." "You're just afraid of that mob." "Y'all are just burying my ass to cover yours." "Jolene, it's their kitchen, not yours." "And she's right." "It's a farce." "Turn to the side." "New York is just blacks, Jews, and liberals." "The D.A. Wants their votes." "It's not the D.A.'S call, Ms. Castille, it's mine." "Print her." "Your left hand, please, ma'am." "Where are you from, honey?" "Georgia?" "How'd they put you up to this charade?" "Excuse me?" "We both know if we were down home," "I'd be getting a medal." "Get back." "I'm coming through." "Mr. Barba, didn't Jolene have the right to defend herself?" "Everyone in New York has the right to walk the streets without fearing for their life, and that includes 16-year-old Mehcad Carter." "[Overlapping shouting]" "Jolene, are you a racist?" "Is that why you shot Mehcad?" "Absolutely not." "I was in fear for my life." "All right, no more questions." "Excuse us." "Did you find any stippling or fouling on the body of Mehcad Carter?" "None." "But Jolene Castille told police that she was inches away from Mehcad when she fired." "She wasn't." "We tested the same gun and bullets that Ms. Castille used." "The shot that killed Mehcad Carter was fired from a distance of at least five feet." "And this is not an empty phrase." "Mehcad was truly a choir boy." "A sweet, angelic, evolved soul." "Never hurt anyone." "Thank you, reverend." "Nothing further." "Reverend, you saw Mehcad Carter in his Sunday best at choir practice and services?" "I have known him since he was four." "You've ever been out with him at night, with his friends, when they've been partying?" " Well, no, but..." " Reverend..." "Have you ever been surprised by congregants who were Sunday saints but Saturday sinners?" "Of course, but Mehcad wasn't..." "Thank you, reverend." "No further questions." "Mehcad was a fan of Jolene's." "I think that's why he followed her home." "Objection, your honor." "Speculation." "Sustained." "Ms. Carter, was Mehcad ever in trouble with the law?" "No." "Never." "And, um, when he left home that night, did you see him take anything with him?" "His... his cell phone." "And his bubble gum." "Bubble gum?" "Cherry." "I know he was tall, but he..." "He just turned 16." "He was still..." "Still my boy." "I lost my little boy." "[Sniffles]" "You arrested Willie Taylor at that scene?" "Yes, we then conclusively linked him to the three open rapes on the West Side." "So Mehcad Carter was no longer a suspect in those rapes or any other rapes?" " That is correct." " Thank you, detective." "There's nothing further." "Detective, does Jolene Castille fit the profile of the rapist's other victims?" "Yes." "And Mehcad Carter's appearance..." "The way he was dressed and how he followed her, does that match the rapist's profile?" "You're asking me if he was a young, black male on a public sidewalk?" "Your honor." "Answer the question, detective." "Um, yes, he fit the pattern." "Initially, didn't two prior victims identify Mehcad Carter as their attacker?" "From a photo I.D. They later recanted." "But they did I.D. Him., which means SVU also believed he was the rapist." "He was a suspect." "After we investigated further, we realized" " that a mistake had been made." " What?" "Further?" "When?" "48 hours?" "So, if SVU and two victims believed that Mehcad Carter was the rapist, how... how could Jolene Castille, a woman alone on a dark street, be expected to know he wasn't in the blink of an eye?" " What just happened in there?" " I'm sorry." "We were..." "I was wrong." "That lawyer can just slander him like that?" "I think the jury understands" "Mehcad was not a threat." "The burden is on her to prove self-defense." "Then you need to go after her." "You need to make them see her for who she really is!" " I promise that I will." " He'll do all he can." "Jolene takes the stand tomorrow." "She fooled you people." "You gonna let her fool a jury?" "No, no, no." "This is a show trial." "Jolene Castille defended her life that night, and she'll defend herself on the stand." "Thank you." "Mr. Cohen!" "[Overlapping shouting]" "Jolene's deposition from a civil suit nine years ago, brought by five black male kitchen employees." "Discrimination, hostile environment?" "And wrongful termination." "She accused the dishwashers of stealing." ""You know these field hands." ""You can't let them into the kitchen, they'll rob you blind."" ""Field hands"?" "Mmm." "Those statements were legally obtained." "These are more prejudicial than probative, your honor, in an already emotionally charged case." "We've been blindsided." "Really?" "By your client's own words from a civil suit in which your firm represented her?" "You care to tell me how that rises to the level of blindsided?" "Mr. Cohen, were you unaware of these depositions or simply hoping the prosecution wouldn't gain access?" "They were subsequently sealed, your honor." "So you were aware of them." "I won't allow these to be admitted." "But if the witness opens the door, prosecution can question her attitudes." "Like most chefs, I do have a temper." "It gets hot in the kitchen, and words get exchanged." "The next night, we drink and laugh about it." "I love all of my employees, black and white." "My black friends know what's in my heart." "Thank you, Ms. Castille." "Ms. Castille, you just said you love your black employees." "I love all my employees." "I have a gay Chinese assistant." "Good for you." "But your black employees are the only ones that you refer to as "field hands"?" "Well, that was blurted out during a moment of duress." "It's a vestige of the way I was raised." "I meant no disrespect." "And when you denied black employees the use of the dining room bathrooms, that was also just a vestige?" "Our restaurants are about hospitality." "I have never denied an employee a fair working environment, promotion." "As long as they don't serve food to white customers or use their bathrooms?" "Objection." "Mr. Barba, move on." "The first Chez Jolene was in new Orleans." "Did you carry a gun then?" "No, there was no need." "What, so you only started carrying a concealed gun in New York?" "Why is that?" "When I moved up here," "I was a public figure." "I felt more threatened." "Because New York was less segregated than you're used to?" "I didn't say that." "But you did say in "Les Bons Temps Magazine"..." ""Nobody takes the subway in New York unless they have to." "It's like a jungle train through the Congo."" "Everybody knows that was just a joke." "A telling joke." "On the night you saw Mehcad Carter, did you see a field hand, a jungle animal, or just a boy trying to make his way home?" "Objection." "No, I want to answer that." "I saw a hooded man following me." "I told him to back off, and he came through my gate." "So if it had been a white man who was walking behind you, would you have told him to get back?" " Would you have pulled your gun?" " Objection." "If it was a white boy, I wouldn't have been afraid." "So, let's be clear." "Mehcad Carter didn't have to do anything." "He didn't have to say anything." "He just had to be a black boy standing on your sidewalk and that gave you the right to shoot him?" " That's not what I said." " Isn't it?" "Nothing further." "I think I'll argue for plea." "Why?" "She's on the defensive." "For now." "It's still "he said, she said,"" "only this time, the "he" is dead." "[Elevator bell dings] Because "she" shot him." "Which means the jury only has her side." "They're never going to hear his." "She won't take the plea." "You didn't want me on the stand, how come the defense does?" "Mr. Tutuola, the night Mehcad Carter was shot you were one of the first officers on the scene?" "Yes." "You were in the neighborhood working the case of the West Side rapist?" "That's right." "I'd like to refer to you, sir, to defense exhibit 43." "Your 250 reports from that night, otherwise known as your stop-and-frisk reports." "Yes." "Now according to your reports, you stopped and frisked 12 men that night." "What was their race and age?" "They were all young, black males." "That was the description of the suspect we were looking for." "I see." "And in your experience, is a young, black male an unusual description for a rape suspect?" "There are all kinds of suspects." "But isn't it true that in New York, black males between the ages of 14 and 35 constitute less than 5% of the general population, yet commit 50% of the rapes?" " Objection." " Withdrawn." "Would you say that the NYPD disproportionately targets young, black males when conducting their stop-and-frisk operations?" "I just try and do my job." "As do we all." "And are you aware that your own mayor is on record as saying that the NYPD, and I quote," ""disproportionately stops whites too much and minorities too little"?" "I saw the story." "Do you consider yourself prejudiced against young, black males?" "No, of course not." "So, on the night in question, when you stopped and frisked 12 young, black males, that was not racially motivated?" "No." "Because you were suspicious of men who fit the profile." "So how is my client racist for doing exactly the same thing?" "There's a huge difference between frisking someone and shooting someone." "So you expected her to read him his rights?" "Maybe to arraign him for, I don't know, trespassing?" "He was 16." "She had options." "Cross the street, dial 911." "Oh, I'm..." "I'm sorry." "I didn't realize you were there that night, detective." "No further questions." "So for 48 hours," "NYPD's elite SVU unit believed Mehcad Carter was their rapist, as did two prior victims." "So when Jolene Castille told you that if a white man had been following her, she wouldn't have been afraid, she was really reacting the same way the police do, the same way many new yorkers..." "White and black... do." "So that night, that night, when NYPD was "flooding the zone,"" "and stopping and frisking young, black males," "Jolene Castille, alone, backed up against a wall, had every reason to fear for her life." "Because even when she told him to stop," "Mehcad Carter just kept coming at her." "He just kept coming." "Right at her." "Now hindsight is 20-20 because this..." "[Chuckles] I mean, this was self-defense." "And if it had been you, or your wife," "God forbid your daughter..." "You'd want her to have the right to protect herself." "Thank you." " Mehcad Carter was a 16-year-old honor student enjoying his summer." "Singing in the church choir, watching cooking shows on tv, playing basketball with his friends." "And then he forgot his metrocard and was embarrassed to tell his parents." "So he chose to walk home." "That's what Mehcad was doing on the night he was killed." "He was heading home to his parents." "But he never made it." "Because Jolene Castille didn't like the way he walked, she didn't like the way he dressed, she didn't like the way he looked." "The defendant claims that Mehcad was stalking her, that he was going to rape her." "But how can we believe her when she has lied about every other detail on this case?" "About his having a gun, about what he said to her." "She even claimed that Mehcad lunged at her, but you heard the M.E. Testify that Mehcad had to have been at least five feet away from her when she murdered him." "In a system where it is all of our rights to be presumed innocent until proven guilty," "Jolene presumed Mehcad guilty..." "And became his judge, his jury, and his executioner." "She got to go home to her brownstone that night." "Mehcad will never go home again." "Well..." "This is awkward." "Just the two of us girls." "Yeah, well, I'll get out of your way." "I was afraid for my life." " He was 16." " He was six-foot tall." "And he was coming after me." "You're a cop." "You've known what it's like to be a woman, alone, vulnerable." "He wasn't a rapist." "He was just a boy." "I know, I know." "I don't have any children." "My restaurants are my babies." "God, the look in his parents' eyes..." "That boy is dead and there's not anything I can do about it." "I'm sorry." "In the matter of the people versus Jolene Castille, on the charge of manslaughter, how do you find?" "We find the defendant not guilty." " Hell no!" " Order!" "[Gavel bangs]" "Order!" "Order!" "Jolene Castille, you're free to go." "The jury is dismissed." "The state of New York thanks you for your service." "Jolene, do you feel vindicated?" "What do you say to Mehcad's parents?" "We are disappointed in the verdict, but ultimately we respect that the jury has spoken." "Do you think there will there be rioting tonight?" "If there are protests, we ask that they be peaceful." "There's been enough senseless violence already." "Please, for Mehcad's sake, for all our sons' sake..." "Let this end now." "A juror told me they were split on the first poll." "What happened?" "Fear won out." "I'm sorry." "I..." " No." " It's not on you." "It's just how it is."