"Careless" | ||
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← | SVU, Episode 5.18 | → |
Production number: E4422 First aired: 2 March 2004 | ||
Written By Patrick Harbinson Directed By Steve Shill |
Summary[]
After a young boy dies during a church vigil, Tutuola and Munch investigate the boy's foster parents and social worker for neglect.
Plot[]
The detectives investigate the death of a 6-year-old boy, Jamie Semple who was brought into the hospital by his foster dad, Sam Dufoy when he took Jamie to church for an exorcism. At first, the church pastor is believed to be responsible for Jamie's death, but then it is discovered that Jamie was already dead when he was brought into the hospital after being smothered with a pillow at home. Sam is arrested for murdering Jamie, but Jamie's birth mother claims that his social worker, Mariel Plummer is responsible for his death because on the night of Jamie's murder, Sam called Ms. Plummer when he claimed that Jamie was out of control, but she never returned his calls or made follow-up visits to the Dufoys' house even though she claims that she did.
Mariel is arrested for reckless endangerment and altering records and Novak decides to put her on trial and have Sam Dufoy testify against her. Soon after, Mariel is cleared of all charges, but then evidence discovers that the Dufoys had a teenage girl living in their home. When Fin confronts Mariel about it, she ends up killing herself after getting a threatening phone call. It is soon discovered that Lori-Ann Dufoy (Sam's wife) is accused of taking in other foster children, neglecting them, and letting them runaway.
Sam reveals that they had a foster teenage girl, Megan living with them before Lori-Ann sent her to a mental facility on the day of Jamie's death. Megan reveals that it was Lori-Ann who smothered Jamie with a pillow and cutting Megan's face with a cheese grater. In the end, Lori-Ann is arrested for the murder of Jamie Semple with Sam finally telling the truth as he actually cared about Jamie and was protecting Lori-Ann due to love and her claiming it was an accident.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler
- Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
- Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch
- Diane Neal as A.D.A. Casey Novak
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- B.D. Wong as Dr. George Huang
- Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen
Recurring cast[]
- Mike Doyle as CSU Technician Ryan O'Halloran
- Stephen Schnetzer as Dr. Engels
- Audrie J. Neenan as Judge Lois Preston
- CCH Pounder as Defense Attorney Carolyn Maddox
- Tamara Tunie as M.E. Melinda Warner
- Pilar Witherspoon as Defense Attorney Julia Hynton
- Joselin Reyes as Paramedic Martinez
- José Zúñiga as T.A.R.U. Technician Miguel Cruz
- Elizabeth Flax as Nurse Carey Hutchins
Guest cast[]
- Julie Hagerty as Mariel Plummer
- Cress Williams as Sam Dufoy
- Keith Randolph Smith as Father Hendry
- Michole White as Tamara Semple
- Lillias White as Sacred Spirit Minister
- Marcia Jean Kurtz as Dr. Coetzee
- Jazz Raycole as Megan Rose
- Malinda Williams as Lori-Ann Dufoy
- Sue-Anne Morrow as Dr. Angela Thung
- Steven G. Smith II as Jamie Semple
References[]
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Church of Divine Blessing
- Administration for Children's Services
- Rikers Island
- St. Columbia's Psychiatric Facility
- Terrance Cottrell
Quotes[]
- Benson: It's 4:45. I've got to be in court in four hours.
- Tutuola: Okay, you go ahead. It's about time Munch got his bony ass out of bed for some religion.
- Stabler: What about that autistic kid in Milwaukee last year? Parishioners held him down. They were laying on top of him to cure him.
- Benson: That could explain the ring mark. [walks around behind Cragen and wraps her arms around him to demonstrate] Someone holds Jamie, he struggles, they hold him tighter.
- Cragen: [a little breathless] Until he can't breathe. [Olivia removes her arms and walks around in front of him] Thank you, I enjoyed that.
- Tamara Semple: My son's poor, dead little body is at her door. She's gonna pay for it and ACS is gonna pay for it. The city is gonna pay for it.
- Tutuola: That's not gonna bring Jamie back.
- Tamara Semple: Have you ever lost a child? You think this is about money?
- Mariel Plummer: You're arresting me for paperwork?
- Carolyn Maddox: If the criminal court finds my client culpable for Jamie's death, then who's next? Police officers who fail to prevent a homicide? Firefighters who don't save someone from being burned?
- Novak: [to Mariel Plummer] You had no idea what was going on in the Dufoy house. You hadn't visited in months. You'd forgotten all about Jamie.
- Mariel Plummer: No. I cared about him.
- Novak: Then why not return Sam's calls?
- Mariel Plummer: Because I was out of the office till late working on another case.
- Novak: But you cared about Jamie. Why was that other case so much more important?
- Mariel Plummer: A father returned home from prison. He beat his wife to death with a hammer. Then he killed himself in front of his two children. That's what I was working on. That's why I didn't return Sam's call. I made a terrible mistake, but don't accuse me of not caring.
- Tutuola: [when Mariel Plummer gets a threatening phone call] Who the hell are you calling a bitch? This is the police. Ring this number again, we're gonna come busting in your damn door! Believe that.
- Mariel Plummer: [holding a gun] I saved thousands of children and I'll only be remembered for losing one. [shoots herself in the chest]
- Dr. Warner: Are you okay?
- Tutuola: I'm cool.
- Dr. Warner: I know, but are you okay?
- Tutuola: [to Lori-Ann] You took in runaways, treat them like crap so they'd run away again or did Sam just kill them?
- Lori-Ann Dufoy: No! Nobody else would touch these kids!
- Tutuola: Well, somebody touched Megan Rose with a cheese grater!
- Lori-Ann Dufoy: What are you talking about?
- Tutuola: [shows Lori-Ann a photo] This is Megan Rose's blood and it damn sure isn't six months old. She was in your home the week Jamie died. She see Sam kill him?
- Lori-Ann Dufoy: I swear Megan was gone or maybe she came back, I don't know. I work so many hours at the store...
- Tutuola: If she came back, where is she now?
- Lori-Ann Dufoy: You're trying to get me to hurt Sam, but I won't.
- Tutuola: Just tell us where Megan is!
- Lori-Ann Dufoy: I said I don't know!
- Tutuola: [to Lori Ann] That was smooth. Shutting a murder witness up in a loony bin.
- Lori-Ann: Who do you think the jury's going to believe, me, or some delinquent?
- Tutuola: When they see how you grated Megan's face, they ain't gonna believe you.
- Lori-Ann: She raked herself, she's psychotic.
- Tutuola: Yeah, and Jamie smothered himself.
- Sam Dufoy: I'm not gonna protect you any more.
- Lori-Ann Dufoy: Protect me? You never protected me! You promised me everything and you gave me nothing. I wasted my life on you!
- Sam Dufoy: I loved you, Lori-Ann. I believed your lies. I let you hurt those kids.
- Lori-Ann Dufoy: You weak son-of-a-bitch!
- Sam Dufoy: You don't give a damn about anyone.
Background information and notes[]
- Goof: When they pronounce the child dead at the beginning of the episode, he is intubated. When the father is shown the dead boy, the endotracheal tube has been removed. This would not happen, as the body would be left with everything inserted for the medical examiner to view at autopsy.
- Goof: While Munch and Fin are with Warner in the morgue, Jamie's left foot is seen moving, although it could easily be a reflex.
Episode scene cards[]
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
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Church of Divine Blessing |
Dufoy Residence |
Administration for |
Office of |
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
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Trial Part 22 |
Apartment of |
Rikers Island |
St. Columbia's |
Previous episode: "Mean" |
"Careless" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 5 |
Next episode: "Sick" |