Unfit Mothers & Shattered Childhoods| Law & Order

The transcript centers on the investigation into the death of Henry Ward, a young boy who froze to death due to lack of heat in his apartment. Detectives interrogate Jackie and others involved, uncovering negligence and potential foul play by the landlord, Turner, who is suspected of deliberately cutting off the heat to force tenants out. Additionally, the subplot reveals a disturbing case of a mother, Lisa, who gave away her adopted son, Nikki, to a dubious broker, leading to his placement with a couple with a criminal past. The police work to track down Nikki and uncover the truth behind both cases.

• The police officers are questioning Charlene about her sister Jackie and her nephew Henry.
• Charlene seems indifferent and uncooperative, not asking why the police are inquiring.
• The officers suggest getting a warrant to search the place, which Charlene resists.

"Your sister have any kids? A little boy Henry."

• The officers are confirming the existence of Charlene's nephew Henry.

"Now Charlene, here we are, two police officers, we're asking you about your sister and her son, and you don't seem too worried. You don't even ask why."

• The officers note Charlene's lack of concern or curiosity about their inquiry.

"Jackie don't have no phone, couldn't pay the bill. Look man, we ain't talked to him, okay? Hell, we haven't even seen her."

• Charlene explains the lack of communication with Jackie due to financial issues.

"Look man, Jackie did not call, okay?"

• Charlene reiterates that Jackie did not contact her.

• The officers suggest leaving one detective behind while the other gets a warrant.
• They propose searching the place to avoid wasting time.

"I can leave Detective Logan here, I'll go get a warrant, and then when I come back, we'll search the place."

• The officer is trying to pressure Charlene into allowing a search without a warrant.

"You can make it easy and just let us look around."

• The officer offers Charlene an easier option to comply voluntarily.

"Now you about as far into my home as you're going to be, so why don't you just go on and get your warrant."

• Charlene stands her ground, refusing to allow the search without a warrant.

• Jackie explains her situation and the events leading to Henry's death.
• She was working and left Henry under the care of a neighbor girl, Serena.
• Jackie found Henry unresponsive and took him to the hospital, then left him there in a state of panic.

"She left him alone in that apartment. I didn't. I had to go to work."

• Jackie defends her actions, explaining her need to work.

"Serena Price, the neighbor girl, she comes right after school, and he's never alone for long."

• Jackie relies on Serena to look after Henry in her absence.

"I get home around midnight, and the apartment is dark and freezing cold, and Henry, he wasn't moving."

• Jackie describes the tragic moment she found Henry.

"I took him right to the hospital and left him there. I was out of my head."

• Jackie admits to leaving Henry at the hospital in a state of panic.

• Discussion among officers about the potential charges against Jackie.
• Debate on whether Jackie's actions constitute negligence or a more severe charge.
• The DA's involvement and the possible outcomes of the case.

"She's responsible for that baby's death, open and shut."

• One officer believes the case against Jackie is straightforward.

"The law says she has to exercise reasonable diligence. The law says she had to knowingly, intentionally, recklessly, or negligently cause harm."

• The legal standards and requirements for charging Jackie are discussed.

"At the very least, we can hand the DA a solid case for negligence."

• The officers consider presenting a case of negligence to the DA.

"She stays at Central Booking. It beats Rikers."

• Decision to keep Jackie in Central Booking rather than a more severe facility.

• Serena, the neighbor girl, explains her side of the story.
• She got stuck on the subway and couldn't get to Jackie’s apartment on time.
• Serena holds a key to the apartment but faced obstacles from the super.

"I got stuck on the subway coming uptown. It's not her fault; she feels bad enough as it is."

• Serena explains the reason for her delay and expresses her feelings.

"The super says there's no way he opens the front door for a stranger like that."

• Serena recounts the super's refusal to let her into the apartment.

"I told him about Henry, but he said Jackie and Henry were gone."

• Serena tried to explain the situation to the super, who was uncooperative.

• Jackie Ward's Babysitter: Serena Price, a young black girl, is identified as the babysitter.
• Heating Problems: The building has had ongoing heating issues, with six space heaters bought as a temporary solution.
• Landlord's Intentions: Suspicions arise that the landlord wants tenants to leave to renovate the building.

"The place is wrecked. The landlord wants to renovate. You get a message from that? The message I get is that the landlord would be thrilled if her tenants left."

• Turner's History: Turner, associated with Iris Corman, has a history of clearing out tenants and has prior charges for assault and menacing.

"This is Turner's sixth building for Iris Corman. He clears out tenants. That's what he does. He's got three priors: assault and menacing tenants."

• Murder Charges: Discussion on whether depraved indifference homicide or murder in the second degree can be charged, given the circumstances.

"We were thinking maybe depraved indifference homicide, murder two."

• Challenges in Proving Intent: Difficulty in proving that the heat was deliberately cut off leading to the baby's death.

"Turner's been doing this for years, which doesn't prove the heat was cut off deliberately the day the baby died."

• Evidence of New Heaters: Six brand new space heaters suggest premeditated action by Turner.

"Torado didn't have six space heaters for no reason. They were all brand new."

• Arrest of Turner: Turner is arrested for the murder of Henry Ward based on the evidence and suspicions.

"You're under arrest for the murder of Henry Ward. Turn around, please. Put your hands behind your back."

• Turner's Denial and Resistance: Turner resists and denies involvement initially but is taken into custody.

"You're not the Super. You're not replacing it. You got to Turner just give me an excuse."

• Lisa's Confession: Lisa, under emotional distress, admits to actions taken due to overwhelming stress and lack of support.

"I had no choice. I couldn't take it. I was losing my mind."

• Tom's Ignorance and Lisa's Frustration: Tom is unaware of the situation, leading to a confrontation about their responsibilities and the situation with Nikki.

"Where were you? Where were you saving the children of the world? I was alone with him for 6 weeks. Are you crazy?"

• Need for Help: Lisa highlights the need for external help, which was not provided, exacerbating the situation.

"I told you we could have hired some help. Who? An armed guard? He was out of control throwing things, biting, banging."

These notes provide a detailed overview of the key themes and discussions in the transcript, focusing on the investigation, legal considerations, arrests, and emotional dynamics between the characters.

• The child, Nikki, exhibited dangerous behavior, such as opening a car door while the car was moving at 70 mph.
• Nikki's mother struggled to manage his behavior due to his troubled past and lack of early childhood care.

"He opened the car door when I was doing 70 nearly killed us. Nobody held him for the first five years of his life."

• Nikki's mother feels overwhelmed and expresses that she tried her best to handle the situation.

"Do you think I wanted it this way? Do you know how hard I tried?"

• Nikki's mother decided to give him away to someone she believed could handle him better.
• She gave Nikki to a strict religious family through an intermediary she found online.

"I gave him to someone who said they could handle him. He's with a family that knows how to raise boys like him. It's a strict religious family."

• The intermediary advised Nikki's mother that a clean break was best, and she did not know the names of the family who took him.

"She wouldn't let me know their names. She'd done it before, said a clean break was best."

• Nikki's mother lied to her husband, pretending Nikki was kidnapped.
• The broker's voicemail was full, and there was an ongoing effort to locate her.

"So Nikki's mother gave her own kid away, was afraid to tell her husband, so she pretended he was kidnapped. The broker's voicemail is full."

• There are legal loopholes that allow non-legal transfers of children, known as "rehoming," which are not tracked by state or federal laws.

"There are laws on the books and there are also ways around them. Connecticut allows for these non-legal transfers of children. People find these middlemen on the internet and use them to place their adopted children in other homes."

"The term they use is rehoming, and nobody is tracking where these children are placed. There is no state or federal law that even acknowledges this is going on."

• The authorities are working to find Nikki, but face jurisdictional challenges.
• An Amber Alert was considered, but Nikki's situation did not meet the criteria.

"We have told the city that this kid is missing, so we have to find him. We have no jurisdiction."

"I want an Amber Alert out on this kid. That's for children who've been abducted. She gave the kid to a broker she found on the internet. We don't know where the hell he could end up."

• The broker facilitated the rehoming of Nikki and was unaware that Nikki's father did not consent.
• Nikki is diabetic, and his new family was informed about his medical needs, including the insulin pump.

"Lisa brought him in late on Tuesday. I found a family for him online Wednesday. They came to pick him up that night."

"Did you know the boy's father didn't sign off on it? Lisa told me the father wasn't in the picture."

"Nikki is diabetic. He needs insulin. Lisa brought extra insulin, and his new parents totally understood the pump thing."

• Nikki's father had his own health issues, which might have influenced the situation.

"His father had health issues of his own."

These notes provide a detailed and comprehensive overview of the key themes and discussions from the transcript, including the intricacies of the legal and ethical implications of rehoming, the emotional and practical struggles faced by Nikki's mother, and the efforts by authorities to locate and ensure Nikki's well-being.

• The couple, Lexa and Roger Smith, provided falsified references and a home study form from the Department of Family Service for adoption.
• Their address was listed as 1 East 161st Street, Bronx, New York, which is Yankee Stadium, indicating false information.
• The home study form could be easily printed off the internet, questioning its authenticity.

"They had references and a home study form from the Department of Family Service."

• The couple used fake documents to facilitate the adoption process.

"Lexa and Roger Smith address is 1 East 161st Street Bronx New York."

• The address provided is fake, pointing to Yankee Stadium, indicating deceit.

"This home study form you can print off the internet."

• The home study form was not legitimate and could be easily fabricated.

• Lexa and Roger Smith, also known as Roger and Alexa Pearson, have a history of living under multiple aliases.
• They were evicted from their apartment for living too close to a school and are both on the sex offender registry.
• Roger is a producer, and Alexa is a former porn star; they were involved in illegal activities 15 years ago, including producing a series with underage girls.

"They're the police known by another Alias Roger and Alexa Pearson."

• The couple has a history of using multiple aliases to avoid detection.

"They were evicted from their apartment for living too close to a school."

• They violated laws regarding proximity to schools, adding to their criminal record.

"They're both on the sex offender registry."

• Both individuals have severe criminal backgrounds, including being registered sex offenders.

"He's a producer she's a former porn star 15 years ago they were busted for their just became legal series."

• Their criminal activities include producing illegal content involving underage individuals.

• The couple has adopted multiple children, likely for exploitation purposes.
• They are suspected of trolling for unwanted adopted kids on rehoming boards and websites.
• The children might be used in their illegal activities, including making movies or live streaming.

"They troll for unwanted adopted kids probably the star in their movies."

• The couple is suspected of exploiting adopted children for their criminal enterprises.

"Roger's got at least four other aliases she's got three."

• Their use of multiple aliases complicates tracking their activities and intentions.

• The authorities are actively tracking the couple using all known aliases and connections.
• They are checking disability payments, unemployment, and welfare records to find leads.
• The couple hastily left their residence, leaving behind evidence such as sleeping bags, boys' clothing, and a disc with a video recording.

"Track every Alias any known family friends put Nikki through FBI database."

• The investigation involves a thorough check of all known aliases and connections.

"They may not be videos they could be streaming live from webcam feeds."

• The exploitation might involve live streaming, complicating evidence collection.

"NYPD we have a warrant come on."

• The police are taking active measures, including obtaining warrants to search premises.

"Nikki Nikki Nikki Nikki you here must have saw an amber alert on the news and left in a hurry."

• The couple fled after seeing an Amber Alert, indicating their awareness of the investigation.

• At the scene, authorities found three girls' sleeping bags, boys' clothing, and a machine still on, indicating recent activity.
• Numerous unopened blank DVDs were found, along with one disc containing a recording of children, suggesting their involvement in producing illegal content.

"I got three girls sleeping bags check this out boys clothing train his eyes could be Nikki's pajamas."

• The items found suggest the presence of multiple children and recent use of the space.

"Look at all these DVDs they're blank haven't even been opened yet."

• The blank DVDs indicate potential plans for recording or distributing content.

"There is one the machine oh he looks so pretty that's from last week."

• The single recorded disc provides evidence of recent illegal activities involving children.

• The recorded disc left behind shows a video of children, including Nikki and two girls, being coerced to participate in a "playday."
• The video is disturbing, showing children being manipulated and recorded against their will.

"We ready action come on Stella I'm Stella I'm nine not she just turned seven."

• The video shows children being directed and recorded, indicating coercion.

"Tell them about your new brother over here nikk n nikk come on honey honey look up at the camera just say hi."

• The children are being manipulated to appear on camera, providing direct evidence of exploitation.

"We're all going to have a playday together do you want to watch it will be lots of fun."

• The video content is framed as innocent play, masking the underlying exploitation.