The Best Law & Order: SVU Episodes Based On True Stories
- 12,456 VOTES
'Babes,' Based On The Pregnancy Pact From Gloucester High School
Photo: NBCThe Episode: Benson and Stabler investigate four high school students with a pregnancy pact after a homeless man is found deceased. One of the girls convinced the mentally ill homeless man to help her conceive, though her brother believes the intercourse was involuntary.
Real Life: According to the headlines, in 2008, 18 girls from Gloucester High School in Massachusetts allegedly formed a "pregnancy pact" where they promised each other that they would all get pregnant at the same time and help one another raise their babies. One girl was said to have asked a homeless man to impregnate her, which inspired that part of the SVU episode. Though aspects of the real-life case have come into doubt and frequent talk ot the "Juno effect" suggests a moral panic from adults cocerned that the 2007 film of the same name was inspiring teens to become parents, the principal of Gloucester High did claim, "We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy."
- 22,561 VOTES
'Imprisoned Lives,' Based On The Ariel Castro Case
Photo: NBCThe Episode: After a young boy is found malnourished and abandoned in Times Square, the detectives try to return him to his family. Instead, they find a locked basement where more victims are in need of a rescue.
Real Life: Between 2002 and 2004, Ariel Castro took three women: Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus. He took advantage of all three women, and forced Berry to have his child. The three women lived in captivity in Castro's home until 2013, when Berry escaped and alerted a neighbor of their whereabouts.
- 33,159 VOTES
'Monogamy,' Based On Lisa Montgomery & Bobbie Jo Stinnett
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A seven-months pregnant woman is found dead, with her child taken out by a crude Cesarean section. Detectives race to find the missing baby before it is too late.
Real Life: In 2004, Lisa Montgomery posed online as a pregnant woman in order to befriend Bobbie Jo Stinnett, who was actually pregnant. Montgomery went to Stinnett's house under false pretenses and kidnapped the unborn child. She was found guilty, and sentenced to capital punishment in 2008.
- 41,894 VOTES
'Head,' Based On The Mary Kay Letourneau Case
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A school teacher is taking advantage of her male students, and despite many restraining orders and arrests, she ends up having a child with him. Later, she has surgery to remove a brain tumor, and the desires stop.
Real Life: Mary Kay Letourneau was a school teacher that fell in love with her 12-year-old student. They had two daughters together, despite the fact that Letourneau was convicted of second-degree assault, and had several restraining orders placed against her. When her student turned 18, he filed to overturn the restraining orders, and the two married in 2005. In 2019, they were divorced.
- 51,471 VOTES
'Gone,' Based On The Disappearance Of Natalee Holloway
Photo: NBCThe Episode: Doug Waverly, Nick Pratt, and Jason King are arrested for the demise of 17-year-old Canadian girl during a school trip. The charges are initially dropped by the judge due to insufficient evidence, but the SVU detectives are able to get confessions out of them.
King testifies that he had a consensual encounter with her, but claims that Pratt did not. Waverley and Pratt ended her to keep her quiet. After his confession, King is missing for a few days before being found deceased. Although detectives are never able to recover the girl, they prosecute Waverly and Pratt for King's demise.
Real Life: In 2005, high school senior Natalee Holloway disappeared on a graduation trip to Aruba. She was last seen leaving a nightclub with Joran van der Sloot, a Dutch foreign exchange student, and his two friends, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. The next day, she failed to show up for her flight home, and her packed luggage and passport were found in her hotel room. Holloway was declared legally dead in 2012, though her case is still unsolved, and she is still missing.
- 61,286 VOTES
'Smut,' Based On The Andrew Luster Case
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A serial violator uses a substance to subdue his prey so that he can take them back to his place and take advantage of them. He claims all of the encounters are consensual, but his prey have no recollection of the encounters.
Real Life: In 2003, Andrew Luster was convicted of using GHB to take advantage of several women who didn't remember being hurt by him.
- 71,372 VOTES
'Blood Brothers,' Based On The Arnold Schwarzenegger Scandal
Photo: NBCThe Episode: When a 13-year-old girl named Ella turns up pregnant at a Catholic high school, the detectives investigate. Her best friend is a Hispanic boy named Arturo. Arturo is the son of a maid who cleans the house of prominent politician Andrew Raines, his wife, and his son, Tripp. Detectives discover that Tripp had impregnated Ella, but they also find out that Andrew Raines is actually Arturo's father. Arturo slays Tripp after Tripp tries to convince Ella to get rid of the child, because he is angry that Andrew will not admit publicly that he is Arturo's dad.
Real Life: In 2011, it was revealed that Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and former governor of California, had a secret child with one of the maids employed in his household. His wife, Maria Shriver, left him. Schwarzenegger claims that it took him seven or eight years before he realized that Joseph Baena, son of his housekeeper, was his child.
- 81,698 VOTES
'Selfish,' Based On The Casey Anthony Trial & The Anti-Vaxx Trend
Photo: NBCThe Episode: Ruth Walker tells SVU detectives that her 2-year-old granddaughter, Sierra Walker, hasn't been seen in a few days. Her daughter, Ashlee Walker, is young and irresponsible, and she's worried that something bad might have happened to her. Ashlee blames a fictional nanny for kidnapping her daughter.
Upon investigation, detectives find that Ashlee Walker buried her daughter at a gas station. The autopsy report reveals that Sierra Walker perished of measles. In a panic, Ashlee buried her because she thought that it was her fault. The charges against Ashlee are dropped, but the Walkers seek out the Stewart family, who chose to not vaccinate their child. Their son infected Sierra at the playground, and the Walkers demand justice. Monica Steward argues that it is her choice whether or not to vaccinate her child, and that Sierra would have passed due to Ashlee Walker's negligence sooner or later.
Real Life: In 2008, Cindy Anthony reported that her 2-year-old granddaughter, Caylee Anthony, had been missing for a month. Casey Anthony, Caylee's mother, claims that a nanny took her daughter earlier that month, and that she had been too frightened to alert authorities. Caylee Anthony was found several days later in the wooded area by the Anthony family home, her mouth bound with duct tape and chloroform.
Casey was arrested, but was ultimately found not-guilty. Later, investigators found records of a Google search for "foolproof suffocation" and "foolproof ways to die" on Casey's computer.
- 91,385 VOTES
'Perfect,' Based On The Elizabeth Smart Story And The Raelian Cult
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A young girl is found in an alleyway, and the autopsy report reveals that she starved. The detectives discover the girl was actually taken in Pennsylvania. They trace her back to a cult leader who claims he has the ability to reincarnate newborns, but in reality, he is impregnating young girls and forcing them to deliver his children.
Real Life: The young girl in this case was based on Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted in 2002. She was discovered after more than a year of being held captive. The cult leader was based on Claude Vorilhon, AKA Raël, who founded the cult Raëlism in 1974. He believed he could clone human beings, and convinced his followers likewise.
- 101,697 VOTES
'Scavenger,' Based On The BTK Case
Photo: NBCThe Episode: SVU detectives are in a race against time as they try to solve clues left by the RDK serial killer before he strikes again.
Real Life: Dennis Rader, AKA "BTK," sent letters to the police in the 1990s and early 2000s, detailing how he had slain each of his victims. BTK became infamous for taking ten lived before police caught him in 2005. The BTK case had been cold for awhile when suddenly, in 2004, Rader began sending mail to the police again.
He asked them if he could be traced by sending them a floppy disk with letters instead of the usual snail mail. They answered him in the local papers, telling him that it would be fine. The disk contained a corrupted Microsoft Word document that revealed his first name, and the church where he worked as president of the church council.
- 111,387 VOTES
'Burned,' Based On Yvette Cade & Roger Hargrave
Photo: NBCThe Episode: Valerie Sennet reports her ex-husband Miles for taking advantage of her. Due to insufficient evidence, and no prior criminal history, he is quickly released. He later targets Valerie with a can of gasoline and lights her on fire. She passes due to severe burns, leaving behind their daughter, Tessa.
Real Life: In 2006, Roger Hargrave doused his wife, Yvette Cade, in gasoline and lit a match. He told her he wanted to "watch her fry like Crisco grease." Luckily, Cade survived her injuries, and Hargrave was sent to jail.
- 121,267 VOTES
'Sick,' Based On The Michael Jackson Trials
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A young boy named J.J. accuses billionaire toy store mogul, Billy Tripley, of taking advantage of him. Tripley often hosts sleepover parties for charity cases at his home, which he nicknames "the magic kingdom." When the detectives try to take this case to trial, J.J. recants his statement, and Benson and Stabler learn that Tripley paid off J.J.'s family to keep him quiet.
They investigate further, and another child steps forward with allegations against Tripley. Upon questioning the child, they find out that her grandmother helped her fabricate the story in order to get Tripley's money. All charges are dropped, and Tripley walks away a free man.
Real Life: In 2005, a 13-year-old boy named Gavin Arvizo accused pop superstar Michael Jackson of taking advantage of him. Arvizo suffered from spleen cancer, and asked the Make-A-Wish Foundation to arrange a sleepover at Jackson's home at Neverland Ranch. Jackson often allowed children to spend the night at the Ranch with him, claiming that all of the sleepovers were innocent, and that there was nothing more natural and pure than loving a child.
Many other children came forward and accused Jackson of the same thing. All fourteen charges against Jackson were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
- 131,053 VOTES
'Fault,' Based On Joseph E. Duncan III
Photo: NBCThe Episode: Victor Paul Gitano, a convicted offender, takes two small children after he's release from prison. He slays their parents, and eventually the little boy during a struggle at a train station.
Real Life: Joseph E. Duncan is a convicted serial killer who ended over 11 people during his career. The Groene family in 2005 are his more infamous victims. Duncan ended both parents and one of the Groene children, and kidnapped the other two kids. The little girl was eventually found alive, but her younger brother was deceased.
- 14870 VOTES
'Holden's Manifesto,' Based On The 2014 Isla Vista Killings
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A college student, Holden March, creates a homemade video diary about his struggles with dating women before embarking on a crime spree. He emails the video out to his fellow classmates, and the SVU detectives must find him and stop him before he hurts anyone else.
Real Life: In May 2014, a college student named Elliot Rodger uploaded a video called "Elliot Rodger's Retribution," to YouTube, detailing the crimes that he was about to commit. He claimed that he wanted to punish the women who had rejected him, and hurt the men who were leading more fulfilling lives than him.
Rodger also penned a 107,000 word manifesto titled, My Twisted World: The Story of Elliot Rodger and emailed it out to 34 people. He then went on a murdering spree in Isla Vista, California, where he ended six UC Santa Barbara students and wounded 14 more. He eventually took his own life.
- 151,408 VOTES
'Glasgowman's Wrath,' Based On The Slender Man Case
Photo: NBCThe Episode: On Halloween night, two best friends, Mia Harris and Perry Gilbert, drag Mia's younger sister, Zoe, to the park in search of the mythical Glasgowman. Zoe winds up in the hospital the next day with wounds and a serious head injury. The other two girls are missing.
When detectives investigate, they find out that Glasgowman is a fictional comic book character written by Gilbert's babysitter. They question him, and find out that he based the character of Glasgowman off a mentally ill man who lives in the park. The man, named Charlie, is a repeat offender, and has been off his medication. Their investigation leads them to Charlie's lair, where they find Harris and Gilbert with a knife.
The two girls claim that Glasgowman attacked Zoe Harris and locked them up, but police discover that Harris was the perpetrator because, in a fit of insanity, she truly believed that Glasgowman would harm her if she didn't end her friend.
Real Life: In May 2014, two 12-year-old girls led one of their classmates into the woods and tried to end her in order to appease a fictional character called Slender Man. They were convinced that Slender Man was real, and that the only way to save themselves was to give their friend as a sacrifice. Luckily, the little girl lived, and has since returned to school.
- 16712 VOTES
'Personal Fouls,' Based On Coaches Bob Olivia And Ernest Lorch
Photo: NBCThe Episode: Several prominent basketball players come forward with allegations that their high school coach, Ray Masters, had taken advantage of them while they were under his tutelage.
Real Life: Two basketball coaches in different youth divisions in New York - Bob Olivia and Ernest Lorch - were convicted of taking advantage of their past players in 2012.
- 17855 VOTES
'P*rnstar's Requiem,' Based On The Belle Knox Story
Photo: NBCThe Episode: 18-year-old college freshman, Evie Barnes, agrees to film an adult video in order to make some money to pay for her college tuition. When a couple of older boys see her at a frat party, they take advantage of her in a bathroom. When the jury decides that the boys are not guilty, Barnes returns to a life of adult entertainment.
Real Life: Belle Knox AKA the Duke P*rn Star, turned to the industry to pay for her $60,000/year Ivy League education. She was outed in 2014 when her classmates discovered her adult videos online. Her actual name was released to the press, and her family and schoolmates found out her real identity. She received many threats and messages of hate by people who disagreed with her choice.
- 181,033 VOTES
'Slaves,' Based On Tanya Kach's Story
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A fruit stand owner reports a possible crime to the SVU detectives. He claims that a young Russian woman is being held against her will, and being forced to work without pay. Benson and Stabler discover that Ilena, a young Russian girl, is being forced into captivity by a white family. Because Ilena has Stockholm Syndrome, she doesn't report her captors, and the detectives are forced to find another way to arrest the family.
Real Life: Tanya Kach was held captive for over a decade by a security guard named Thomas Hose. She eventually escaped, after being forced to work for Hose for years. She later wrote a book about her experiences.
- 19878 VOTES
'Spousal Privilege,' Based On Ray Rice & Janay Palmer
Photo: NBCThe Episode: Detective Fin Tutuola comes across video footage of sportscaster A.J. Holmes violently confronting his girlfriend, Paula, in a parking garage and dragging her to their car, unconscious. Paula tries to stand by her man, despite the fact that he continues to hurt her.
Real Life: Football player Ray Rice got into a fight with his finance, Janay Palmer. Video footage of him knocking her unconscious and dragging her out of an elevator surfaced, and Rice was indicted in the third-degree. Despite his pending charges, Palmer married Rice six weeks after the incident. Rice was eventually cleared of all charges when he agreed to go to counseling.
- 20832 VOTES
'Influence,' Based On Tom Cruise's Couch Freakout
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A teenager named Jamie Hoskins accuses two boys from her high school of taking advantage of her. After investigating, the detectives find out that Hoskins was lying and that she suffers from bi-polar disorder. Hoskins decides to stop taking her medication, even though it will make her more dangerous to herself. Rock star Derek Lord hears about her trial, and steps in to advocate on her behalf. He does not believe in using medication to treat mental illness, and starts a convincing campaign against psychiatric medication.
Real Life: When Tom Cruise became a Scientologist, he adopted the belief that medication is bad for you, and that no one, under any circumstances, should take psychiatric medication to treat mental illness. He went on a press tour promoting his beliefs, and even lashed out against actress Brooke Shields for confessing that she took anti-depressants for postpartum depression after giving birth.
- 21909 VOTES
'Funny Valentine,' Based On Chris Brown And Rihanna
Photo: NBCThe Episode: Micha Green is a famous pop star who is dating Caleb Bryant, a rapper with a mean streak. Bryant hits her several times, causing her to file a restraining order against him. She chooses not to help SVU detectives prosecute him, however, and unfortunately ends up deceased.
Real Life: In 2009, rapper Chris Brown was caught hitting his then-girlfriend Rihanna.
- 22951 VOTES
'Granting Immunity,' Based On The Anti-Vaxx Movement
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A group of underage kids participate in a party that leads to a measles outbreak in New York City.
Real Life: The plot of this episode was a nod to the anti-vaccination movement that resurfaced in mainstream media in 2014. More and more parents are now making the decision to not vaccinate their kids, and the results of their choices can be deadly.
- 23720 VOTES
'Twenty-Five Acts,' Based On Fifty Shades Of Grey
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A young, female author writes a racy S&M erotica novel that hits the best sellers list and takes the nation by storm. She is taken advantage of by a popular talk show host after appearing on his show when he decides to act out some of the fantasies from her book without her consent.
Real Life: This episode featured a book that largely resembles E.L. James's Fifty Shades of Grey. Thankfully, nothing bad happened to the author in real life.
- 24650 VOTES
'Producer's Backend,' Based On Bryan Singer
Photo: NBCThe Episode: After party-girl actress Tensely Evans is arrested by Detective Amaro, it is discovered that she took advantage of a 15-year-old boy. She confesses that, when she was just starting out in Hollywood at age 13, she used to attend parties at famous producer Adam Brubeck's home. Because Evans is now 24, the statute of limitations has run out, and they cannot prosecute Brubeck. Upon further investigation, however, the detectives discover that Brubeck has taken advantage of multiple underage girls, and they arrest him.
Real Life: In both 1997 and 2014, producer/director Bryan Singer was accused of inappropriate contact with minors. Although no charges were filed, many young male and female actors came forward with accusations that Singer had taken advantage of them.
- 25574 VOTES
'Scorched Earth,' Based On The Dominique Strauss-Kahn Case
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A hotel maid is taken advantage of by an Italian Diplomat who tries to claim immunity to avoid being convicted.
Real Life: Dominique Strauss-Kahn was a French lawyer, politician, economist, and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund. During his stay at the Sofitel Hotel in New York in 2011, one of the maids claimed that Strauss-Kahn took advantage of her. Many other women came forward and accused him of the same. It was later discovered that he was also involved in a prostitution ring back in France.
- 26593 VOTES
'Hate,' Based On Post-9/11 Crimes Against Muslims
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A man named Sean Webster is arrested for killing a Muslim woman, and later a Muslim man. When he gets to prison, he does the same to a Muslim inmate. His attorney argues that he should not be held responsible for his actions because he was born with a genetic predisposition to racism and hatred.
Real Life: In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the twin towers, Muslims in America faced a lot of hate. Anti-Muslim hate crimes are five times more common post-9/11 than they were prior to 2001, and many Muslims are targeted for their looks, beliefs, and lifestyles.
- 27553 VOTES
'Devastating Story,' Based On The UVA Allegations
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A college girl appears on a popular talk show to discuss a traumatic experience she had at an on-campus fraternity house. When Detectives Benson and Amaro begin their investigation, they discover that parts of her story have been sensationalized. They ultimately find out that she was lying about the larger details of the incident.
Real Life: This episode is based on the interview published in Rolling Stone magazine with college student "Jackie," regarding the traumatic experience she had at the University of Virginia. After publishing the story, many people began questioning its authenticity. After further investigation, the public was notified that some of the details in Jackie's story didn't quite add up.
Rolling Stone was criticized for the way their journalists researched and reported this story, and many people accused Jackie of lying. Police ultimately decided there was not enough definitive evidence to prove that Jackie had been assaulted at UVA, and Rolling Stone retracted the article.
- 28590 VOTES
'Game,' Based On Grand Theft Auto
Photo: NBCThe Episode: Detective Stabler discovers that the case he's investigating matches the plot of a video game that his son plays. Upon further investigation, SVU detectives find out that their perpetrator was modeling his crimes after the game.
Real Life: When Grand Theft Auto first debuted, many parents were concerned the nature of the video game would desensitize children. GTA involves taking the lives of women on the street, running people over in vehicles, and getting into physical altercations with other characters.
- Photo: NBC
The Episode: A white celebrity chef named Jolene Castille kills a young Black man who she believes has followed her home to potentially harm her. Upon further investigation, detectives arrest her for ending an unarmed teenager who they believe posed no real threat to her life.
Real Life: In 2013, it was revealed that Paula Deen used racial slurs on some of her Black staff members during an event. SVU combined this incident with the killing of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager who was shot by George Zimmerman, who perceived Martin to be a threat.
- 30603 VOTES
'Intimidation Game,' Based On The Gamergate Controversy
Photo: NBCThe Episode: A female video game designer receives threats from the male online gaming community. Despite these threats, she decides to go ahead with the video game launch her company has been planning for months. During the conference, she is taken by male misogynist video gamers.
Real Life: The "gamergate" controversy began in August 2014, when male video gamers sought to drive out several feminists in the video game industry. Those opposed to female gamers joined online forums, such as Reddit and 4chan to try to intimidate lady gamers.
