Saul Picard is the author of several children's books, including Quentin's Quest and Bridge to Nowhere. When he began suffering from schizophrenic episodes in his 40s, he committed a string of rapes for which he nearly faced the death penalty. Though he would later beg the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to extradite him to his native Louisiana so he could be executed, he is currently committed to the New York State Mental Health Facility. (SVU: "Blinded")
History
When Saul Picard was 17, he witnessed the brutal gang-rape of his 11-year-old sister Francine by boys he knew at school. The trauma triggered his latent schizophrenia, but for years, he managed to keep his mental illness under control with Haldol, and as an adult, he became a successful author of children's books under the pen name William S. Falstaff.
Things changed in the fall of 2005, when Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home in New Orleans. He began having delusions of a terrible deluge, but the Haldol kept him from doing anything crazy. Then his beloved Francine died, and the Haldol failed him. His doctor switched him to Rispiridone, but he disliked the severe stupefying effect that the new drugs caused him, and stopped taking them.
With his delusions of the Deluge now getting worse, Picard began seeing his sister in other girls, and feared another rape was coming. He began kidnapping and raping young girls, believing that this would transform him into his sister's rapists, and that if he could become his sister's rapist, he could prevent the rape.
Needless to say, this did not sit well with the Manhattan Special Victims Unit, who quickly located and apprehended him, though in the process, he managed to knock Detective Elliot Stabler headfirst into a car, temporarily blinding him. Picard was caught shortly after. After an interview with Doctor George Huang, he was diagnosed as a schizophrenic.
After getting medication, Picard realized the severity of what he had done. He began to suffer from severe remorse. Thinking he didn't deserve to live, he asked to be taken to Louisiana to be executed. Picard was put on trial for sexual assault, with Barry Moredock defending him and ADA Casey Novak prosecuting, but was deemed incompetent to stand trial due to violent outbursts in court. Back on his medication and feeling guilty for his actions, Picard tried and failed to commit suicide. Novak visited him to try to convince him to not give up and forgive himself as it wasn't entirely his fault. (SVU: "Blinded")