Was Milo Ventimiglia on Law & Order: SVU? About His Episode

“Escape” kicks off with the SVU catching wind of a prison break. Michael Baxter, a man who spent 10 years behind bars for the rape of his then-12-year-old stepson (Ventimiglia’s Lee), successfully escaped authorities. Worried that Baxter might try to confront the grown-up Lee, the squad launches a manhunt, meeting several family members — such as Baxter’s ex and Lee’s mother, Carin, and Lee’s cousin, Jeremy. 

After learning Carin was pregnant with Michael’s child at the time of his arrest, the cops grew worried he might try to make contact with the son he never met. After meeting with Lee, they learned that Michael’s mother was terminally ill, leading the cops to think he may go see her. After visiting Michael’s mother, she claimed to know nothing and maintained her son’s innocence. Meanwhile, the squad’s worst fears were actualized after Baxter kidnapped Lee.

After discovering Baxter’s mother had lied about helping him escape prison, they got a break in the case. Baxter had taken Lee to a motel. After Benson arrived on the scene, she faced a tense hostage showdown, where Baxter held Lee at gunpoint to force a recantation of his rape claims. Terrified yet unwavering, Lee told Benson that Baxter was guilty. Benson, meanwhile, did her best to hold the tensions at bay as backup arrived. Baxter was shot and taken to the hospital, but the case was far from closed. 

After seeing firsthand how passionate Baxter was in claiming his innocence during the hostage showdown, Benson began reconsidering the odds of a wrongful conviction. Baxter didn’t want revenge — he just wanted Lee to admit he was lying. Had a mistake been made? After learning the DNA investigator on Baxter’s case was later imprisoned for fudging test results, Benson’s suspicions were further raised. After running a new DNA test, she found a familial match, meaning Baxter couldn’t be the culprit. 

After some digging, Benson learned Lee’s cousin Jeremy visited the family during the time of the police report. After confirming Jeremy was a DNA match, they brought Lee in for questioning. Benson told him the lies needed to end — Baxter’s son had already grown up without a father and Carin grieved a relationship that ended under horrifically false pretenses.

Finally, Lee revealed that in his scared post-traumatic state that he lied about the assault and falsely claimed it was Baxter. Lee apologized to his mother and came clean with the authorities, who swiftly arrested Jeremy for the assault and obstruction of justice.

After closing the case, Benson was eager to visit Baxter in the hospital to let him know that he wouldn’t be returning to prison. Even better, Carin was on the way with their 10-year-old son, who wanted to spend more time with his father.