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| “ | You got me. | „ |
| ~ Denis surrendering to arrest |
Harvey Denis is the hidden main antagonist of the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Limitations". Denis is a serial rapist of women whose case is put forth to the Special Victims squad as highest priority by police commissions, as the statutes of limitations were running out fast.
He's portrayed by Michael Marisi Ornstein.
Biography[]
Denis raped Victoria Kraft, Jennifer Neal, and Lois Creen in 1995 over the course of a week, climbing their balconies, macing them, and raping them before fleeing. In an attempt to rape a fourth woman, he was caught and arrested for burglary. Denis was violently beaten and raped in prison, which would reduce him to a wheelchair and end his crimes. He was released and got hired as a building super, never coming forward to confess. He did, however, join Jennifer's local denomination of Quakers, confessing to her in the sanctity of their house of worship. Jennifer forgave him and kept his secret.
When police commissioners were demanding the SVU address their case loads, as Victoria appealed for answers years after she was raped, the investigators rushed to beat the clock on the statutes of limitations. Victoria was furious the time on trying for when she was raped ran out, as it would for Jennifer. Only with a chance at justice for Lois, the detectives eventually found out Jennifer knew Denis. She refused to give up his name, even when angrily confronted by Victoria and Lois, even after she was arrested for obstruction of justice. The police secured a warrant to take the names of the congregation, which the group peacefully protested, but didn't obstruct. With hours left to arrest Denis, they found him and arrested him at his job. He would be swiftly arraigned and imprisoned for rape.
Trivia[]
- Denis is inspired by Canadian serial rapist Paul Callow a.k.a. "The Balcony Rapist". The appeal by Victoria Kraft was inspired by the resulting Jane Doe v. Board of Commissioners lawsuit, which she filed against police over being made unaware of Callow's rape spree.
External links[]
- Harvey Denis on the Law & Order Wiki
