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Joseph "Joe" Hollister was a serial rapist and Olivia Benson's biological father. He worked as a salesman who sold food to school cafeterias, and used the job to prey on female college students, one of whom was Benson's mother Serena.

History[]

Between 1967 and 1969, he raped three women. One of his victims was Serena Benson; she became pregnant when he raped her and later gave birth to Olivia Benson (her mother's rape was one of the reasons Olivia went into the Special Victims Unit). Hollister struggled for most of his adult life with depression. He was married to Sharon Marsden and they had a son, Simon Marsden. Hollister knew he had a daughter and phoned the Benson house at least once but backed down when Serena answered. He also told his wife that he had a daughter with another woman before they met, but never told her she was a product of rape, nor did Sharon ever find out.

In 1969, Hollister began taking anti-depressants, and these killed his sex drive, effectively ending his career as a rapist. According to his son and his coworker, Hollister was a great father and loving husband at that time. The drugs stopped working and he turned to alcohol. A few years later, his wife divorced him after he almost killed Simon in an accident. He later committed suicide. (SVU: "Florida")

Olivia deeply hated Joseph for raping Serena and even kept it a secret from Detective Amaro for a while until a case pushed her to tell Amaro about who Joseph was and his past. (SVU: "Legitimate Rape")

Olivia once told a woman who had allegedly been raped that, when she was still in school, Joseph called her one night, wishing to speak to her, but Olivia never got the chance to. (SVU: "Something Happened")

Known Victims[]

  • 1967-1969:
    • 1967: Serena Benson (raped and impregnated)
    • Unspecified dates:
      • Jane Willet (raped)
      • Unnamed woman (raped)
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