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“ | Let me ask you something, one hungry man to another - Is there anything better than gorging on a fresh caught meal? | „ |
~ Kenneth Cleary bragging about raping women. |
Kenneth Cleary is a supporting antagonist in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, appearing as the main antagonist of the episodes "Closure" and "Closure Part II". He is a serial rapist who preys on women in the New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. areas.
He was portrayed by Neil Maffin.
Biography[]
"Closure"[]
Cleary is introduced as a suspect in the rapes of Harper Anderson and Jane Tyler. While he presents an image of a wealthy, successful family man, with a wife, Meredith, and a young son, he is in fact a sexual sadist who breaks into women's apartments and rapes them while asking them, "Is this how you like it?".
Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit investigate him and come to believe that he is responsible for dozens of rapes across several states and bring him in to their precinct for a lineup. However, neither Anderson nor Tyler is able to identify him. Even though Benson and Stabler are convinced Cleary is guilty, they are forced to let him go.
"Closure Part II"[]
A year and a half later, Cleary is still raping women and using the same M.O., though by now he has started wearing a mask to avoid being arrested again.
Anderson has been stalking Cleary and his wife since he was released, complicating SVU's ongoing investigation of him. She witnesses him raping a woman, but after she smashes up his car with a crowbar, Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot declines to let her testify against him in court, dismissing her as an unreliable witness.
Cleary's luck finally runs out when Meredith realizes that he had robbed his victims and given her their jewelry to relive what he had done to them, even insisting that she wear it when they have sex. Horrified, Meredith agrees to testify against her husband. However, the judge decides that her testimony violates spousal privilege and declares a mistrial. That night, Meredith shoots Cleary dead in their home.
Trivia[]
- Cleary is inspired by multiple real-life serial rapists:
- Isaac Jones, a.k.a. "The Bronx Serial Rapist", whose crimes Amadou Diallo was suspected of when shot dead by police.
- The unidentified "East Side Rapist" in New York City, who also targeted blonde women.
- Fletcher Worrell, a.k.a. "The Silver Spring Rapist", who raped Kathleen Ham (the inspiration for Harper Anderson) before fleeing his trial and committing more rapes as a fugitive.
External Links[]
- Kenneth Cleary on the Law & Order Wiki