Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Episode 11.17 Disabled

Stabler and Benson investigate the beating and rape of a quadriplegic young woman, Cara Raleigh. Her doctor tells the detective that due to Cara's advanced multiple sclerosis, she's unable to speak. They struggle to interview her, as her nephew Damien looks on.

Fin interviews Cara's sister Janice who says she was out during the attack and her son was supposed to watch his aunt. Meanwhile, Stabler and Benson interview the home care business that looked after Cara in the daytime. Especially when they heard that Janice had had to fire three male nurses in the past for stealing.

Stabler and Benson interview Mark Hubbard, one of Cara's previous nurses. He admits videotaping his patient's homes, but just to protect himself from any accusations. He lets the detectives watch videotapes from Cara's home, which shows her enduring beatings by her sister.

Janice lawyers up immediately, but cracks during interrogation. Juang suggests Janice is jealous of Cara's one-time success as an opera singer and now gives her payback through abuse. Janice admits she hit her sister a few times, but denies ever sexually abusing her. Janice's alibi pans out that she was with her married lover the night of the attack.

Benson discovers that Damien lied about being at school during Cara's attack. In fact, Damien isn't even enrolled in college. Stabler and Benson question Damien back at Cara's house and he tells them he never harmed his aunt, but he also can't divulge his whereabouts that night.

Damien admits he has a job cleaning up the bloodshed after illegal dog fights. Benson discovers Damien got the job so he could pay back his aunt after Janice stole from her account. Benson and Fin threaten Damien with jail if he doesn't come clean about all of his mother's wrongdoings.

Detectives begin to suspect Tony, Cara's bus driver, of her attack. When Benson confronts Cara about their suspicions, Cara blinks once for "yes" and admits Tony committed the rape and threatened to rat Damien out for his work in dogfights if Cara told police what happened. Janice interrupts Benson to tell her she made bail and is now putting Cara in a nursing home. Cara is taken away.

Benson and Stabler interview Tony's boss and discover he was being let go due to the Disabilities' Act; they had to hire more vets coming back from war. The detectives realize that Tony was probably desperate to pay off his gambling debts and his temper became uncontrollable.

As Benson tries to encourage a catatonic Cara to type out her assailant's name on a laptop, Fin answers a call about a hostage situation. Fin finds Damien on Tony's bus with a badly beaten Tony in chokehold. Damien says he's getting justice for his aunt. Fin talks Damien into opening up the bus and releasing Tony.

Tony is immediately taken into interrogation after some of his DNA is found at the crime scene of Cara's attack. Tony says his relationship with Cara was completely consensual. Tony says he had sex with Cara because he felt sorry for her. The DA's office tells Stabler they need more evidence, because Tony's story is too convincing for a jury.

Benson visits one of Tony's passengers and she is also unable to speak. Beth immediately starts crying when she sees a photo of Tony signs that he raped her. After finding out about Beth's attack, Benson discovers more of Tony's victims, all of whom are unable to speak.

Benson still needs Cara's testimony to convict Tony of rape. Benson realizes she's been interviewing Cara all wrong, by treating her like an invalid. She returns to Cara's nursing home and apologizes for her treatment of her and vows to get justice for Cara.

After figuring out that Cara used to be a tough-as-nails opera singer, Benson decides to help Cara re-gain a fighting attitude to help convict Troy. Benson tells Cara that no matter all the pain Janice caused her, she is causing more pain to herself by pretending to be a helpless victim. Benson believes that Cara can fight to put Tony in jail.

The DA's office decides to plea Janice out with an assault in the third degree, as long as a restraining order goes through. Janice lashes out at Cara and says she will never be grateful to Cara for agreeing to plea the case and says she'll no longer take care of her. Damien vows to take care of his aunt and Janice discovers the power of attorney has been transferred from Janice to Damien.

In court, Cara identifies Tony as her rapist by blinking on the witness stand. When the defense refuses to settle for a blink as identification, Cara finds all of her strength to point a finger at Tony as her rapist. A proud Damien and Benson look on.