This Multi-Episode ‘Law & Order SVU’ Storyline Reveals Fin’s Hidden Truth

The Big Picture

• In the “Venom” and “Screwed” episodes of Law & Order: SVU, Fin’s son Ken reveals a devastating secret about his past, leading to an intense investigation by the SVU team.
• The investigation uncovers a heinous crime involving the brutal rape and murder of a woman and her baby, which is connected to Fin’s son’s half-brother, Darius Parker.
• Despite the efforts of the SVU team, including ADA Casey Novak, to bring justice, Darius’s legal tactics and the mishandling of evidence result in a not guilty verdict, leading to the destruction of Fin’s family and a lack of justice for the victims.

NBC’s Law & Order: SVU is known for its well-defined cast of characters and provocative storylines. The longest-running primetime live-action series also boasts over 500 episodes of nail-biting drama. Though most episodes are episodic in nature, occasionally, some storylines spill over into multiple episodes. In the Season 7 episode “Venom” and Season 8 episode “Screwed,” a devastating secret is revealed about Fin Tutuola’s (Ice-T) past, and the entire SVU team faces intense scrutiny on the witness stand. These two episodes also feature an impressive performance from guest star Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as Darius Parker, a man with a complicated past and shocking ties to Fin and his family.

‘Law & Order: SVU’s “Venom” Involves Fin’s Son

In the SVU episode “Venom,” Fin’s son, Ken Randall (Ernest Waddell), is arrested for digging in a vacant lot in the middle of the night when police suspect him of drunk and disorderly conduct. Ken’s strained relationship with his father causes him to contact Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) for help. Fin is furious when he finds out his son was arrested and he wasn’t contacted immediately. Due to a conflict of interest, Fin is told that he must abstain from any direct involvement in his son’s case. He listens in on the interrogation and realizes his son is hiding something.

Ken admits to digging in the lot because he was looking for something. He tells the investigators that while he was out at a bar with his cousin Darius Parker, he overheard a man admit to violently raping and murdering a woman and dumping her body in a nearby lot. The police press Ken for more details because things don’t seem to add up, but he denies any knowledge of the man’s identity. It’s clear to everyone that Ken is hiding something, so the SVU team digs deeper.

In SVU‘s “Venom,” the team discovers an unsolved murder investigation that seems to fit the details of the crime. The woman Ken heard about was sexually assaulted with a knife. The team discovers a case fitting that profile and speaks to the only suspect, the woman’s husband. Fin and Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer) find that not only was the man’s wife killed, but his 14-month-old son is missing as well. The man has been branded a murderer by the police, and nothing has been done to find his missing baby. Fin and Munch realize that the man is genuinely upset and seems to be telling the truth that he had nothing to do with his wife’s murder. The detectives ask if any of the baby’s things were taken during the horrendous incident, and the father reveals that an antique wooden rattle is missing. He gives Fin and Munch a picture of his son holding it.

‘Law & Order: SVU’s “Venom” Reveals an Unforgivable Crime

On SVU‘s “Venom,” DNA recovered at the scene of the murder is tested against Fin’s son Ken in an attempt to exonerate him. It reveals that Ken is not the perpetrator, but he is related to whoever committed the murder. Not just related, but that they share the same maternal DNA. Fin realizes that Darius isn’t Ken’s cousin but his half-brother. His wife gave birth to Darius when she was just sixteen years old and then gave him up to be raised by another family member.

When Fin and Munch look into Darius, they discover the missing baby rattle in Darius Parker’s possession and arrest him for the double homicide of a young mother and her baby. He is read his rights and reveals to investigators Fin and Munch that he is due to be arraigned in court on another charge. He then confesses to the murders in a sworn statement and leads the detectives to the lot where he buried the bodies. With Darius’s help, the SVU team discovers the bodies of a woman and baby that match the descriptions of the victims. Things take a turn for the worse when the medical examiner reveals that the woman was raped with a knife and repeatedly stabbed, dying of exsanguination, and the baby was buried alive with his mother. This may be the worst crime ever depicted on SVU, and things only get more atrocious from there.

ADA Casey Novak (Diane Neal) is ready to bring a case against Darius and plans to push for the death penalty for his disgusting crimes. However, when Darius’s lawyer finds out about the confession, he approaches the judge and explains that the police did not contact him as they should have. Because Darius had legal representation for a different crime, his counsel should have been approached when he was brought in on the murder charge. The judge ends up tossing out the confession and any evidence collected from the point of Darius’s arrest. Unable to use the confession and evidence collected from the bodies of the victims, the DA’s case is uncertain.

‘Law & Order: SVU’ Reveals Even More Tragedy in “Screwed”

In SVU‘s “Screwed,” Darius Parker shows off his legal prowess. Having studied the law extensively while in prison, Darius is well-versed in legal proceedings and finding loopholes. He knew any evidence would be thrown out if the police didn’t adhere to proper protocol in reaching out to his lawyer when he was arrested, and when they fell into his trap, their “slam dunk” conviction disappeared. The only evidence linking Darius to the murder scene is his DNA found in the apartment, and the murder weapon was identified as his knife by his ex-girlfriend. His girlfriend used to babysit for the family, and Darius would frequently visit, and they would have sex, explaining the presence of his DNA. His girlfriend identified the knife as one she purchased for Darius, but it was taken from him and left at the apartment.

With little to go on, Darius and his lawyer begin attacking each detective at SVU for questionable actions in their past. They paint Fin as someone who doesn’t follow the rules when they make him explain that he did not follow protocol when he was a narcotics detective. He was overworked and exhausted, and after a significant bust, he went home to sleep, leaving evidence that included guns and drugs in his vehicle. He checked them in as evidence the next day, but his mishandling of evidence planted seeds of doubt about his character in the jury’s mind. Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) is confronted about his daughter’s DUI charge that was mysteriously swept under the rug. Darius and his lawyer manage to discredit the SVU team, leaving them scrambling to find a way to prove their case to the jury.

The Whole Truth Comes Out in ‘Law & Order: SVU’s “Screwed”

In SVU‘s “Screwed,” Fin’s ex-wife, Teresa Randall (LisaGay Hamilton), is subpoenaed and at first, refuses to take the stand. When she finally appears, Darius ruthlessly questions why she gave him up. She finally admits that Darius was the product of her rape. What’s worse is that Teresa was raped by her father, and no one believed her story. Her family forced her to have Darius, but Teresa couldn’t see anything but her father in the child. She kept that trauma to herself. Even Fin didn’t know about her deep hurt and sorrow.

Darius Parker discovered Teresa was his mother several years prior when his grandmother confessed the truth on her deathbed. Darius went into a rage and ultimately took out his anger on a young mother and her baby. Though ADA Novak and the SVU team know the truth, with damaged reputations and inadmissible evidence, the jury returns with a verdict of not guilty. The SVU episodes “Venom” and “Screwed” lead to the destruction of Fin’s family, and a complete lack of justice for a dead woman and her child, all because Darius Parker beat the system — and Darius beat the system by proving just how flawed it really is.

Law & Order: SVU is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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