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| “ | I could have anyone I wanted. For a thousand miles, I was their God! They were mine until I dumped them in the warehouse and went back to get a new batch! | „ |
| ~ Lopez bragging about raping the women he trafficked. |
Miguel Lopez is the main antagonist of the two-part Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Remember Me" and "Remember Me, Too". He is a web developer and former human trafficker who is held hostage by one of his victims, Lourdes Vega.
He was portrayed by Carlos Miranda.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
In the early 2010s, Lopez was a struggling web developer who was hired by a drug cartel to drive women they kidnapped over the border into the U.S., where they would be forced into domestic slavery.
Lopez became addicted to the power he held over the women in his charge, and would rape and torture them multiple times before dropping them off and going back for a "new batch". When three of these women - Lourdes Vega and her friends Estela and Lucita - tried to run, he caught them and demanded that Lourdes decide whether he would kill, Estela or Lucita. When Lourdes refused to choose which of her friends would die, he shot and killed both of them. He worked for the cartel until 2018, when he finally became a successful programmer.
Lourdes for several years was in domestic slavery as nanny for a family. She remained traumatized by what Lopez did to her and her friends, however.
"Remember Me"[]
One night, Lopez goes to his favorite nightclub and encounters Lourdes, who is partying with her friends after work. He does not recognize her, and even flirts with her. Lourdes recognizes him, however, and decides to get revenge.
She goes with Lopez to his friend Jorge Diaz's apartment and pretends that she is going to sleep with him, only to pull a gun on him and tie him to a chair. She demands that he admit what he did to her, but Lopez pleads innocence, denying that he raped her or anyone else. He claims that, as a man with two sisters, he would never hurt a woman, and hypocritically expresses sympathy for her.
Lieutenant Olivia Benson of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit is called to the scene and tries to de-escalate the situation and save Lopez's life, even though she believes Lourdes. When Diaz unexpectedly returns home early, Lourdes panics and takes Officer Eddie Montero hostage, and a gunfight ensues in which Lourdes accidentally shoots and kills Diaz. She then takes Lopez out on the balcony and puts the gun to the back of his head, and tells him he has to choose between being shot or jumping off the balcony to his death. Benson manages to talk her down, however, and both Lourdes and Lopez are arrested.
"Remember Me, Too"[]
When Lourdes is charged with Diaz's murder, Lopez testifies against her, and once again says that he did not rape her and was never affiliated with a human trafficking ring. However, Benson and Assistant District Attorney Peter Stone uncover evidence linking Lopez to the gang, as well as several rapes.
When Diaz's brother Diego, an enforcer for the cartel, kidnaps Stone's sister Pamela, Stone and Benson interrogate Lopez, threatening to sell him out to the cartel. Lopez tries to justify his actions, saying that he was desperate for work when he was hired by the cartel, but then coldly dismisses his victims as weak and brags about the power he held over them. Finally, he tells Benson and Stone they can find Pamela in a warehouse owned by the cartel; unfortunately, however, Pamela is killed during a standoff between the police and the cartel. Lopez is then imprisoned for multiple counts of kidnapping and rape.
External links[]
- Miguel Lopez on the Law & Order Wiki
