Walter "Walt" Thornburg is a former judge and former friend of Captain Donald Cragen. He was a suspect in the statutory rape of his stepdaughter when she was eleven years old.
Background[]
He and Cragen both went to St. John's University together and they frequently run into each other at functions, becoming good friends. He is married to a woman named Brooke, with whom he had a son named Josh. He adopted her daughter Tricia and they appeared to be a happy family.
However, he was a pedophile and subjected Tricia to rape for years, which led to her pregnancy with a son called Brian at age twelve. He and Brooke both raised Brian together after having Tricia sent to a school for delinquents. He had numerous encounters with SVU detectives when they testified in his courtroom. He was also well known for being harsh on predators and pedophiles, often imposing long sentences.
This was revealed to actually be a product of his self-loathing due to his own pedophilia.
Justice[]
When Thornburg got shot by an assailant, he was rushed to a hospital. SVU investigated the shooting and soon discovered the assailant was Tommy Gordon, a pedophile who Thornburg put away years ago and Detectives Stabler and Benson discovered Tricia had arranged it out of revenge for Thornburg's abuse. They soon discovered Tricia's pregnancy and note Brian looks the approximate age for the abuse timeline and got a court order for his DNA.
The evidence showed he indeed raped his stepdaughter and is the biological father of Brian. Cragen visited the judge in hospital and told him they got DNA evidence that verified he was Brian's father. The judge told the captain he felt remorse and searched the depths of his soul and for the life, and yet, he couldn't find an answer on why he raped his stepdaughter. He acknowledged that his career was over, but still denied that he murdered his stepdaughter to keep her quiet because he was in chambers at the time and it was verified.
His wife was discovered to be the culprit after she confessed, and both were imprisoned for their crimes. (SVU: "Justice")