Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has showcased several gruesome cases over the years. The NBC police procedural drama focuses on the New York City Police Department's SVU team, which investigates sexually oriented crimes.
One of the most horrifying criminals that featured in the show is Cassandra Sullivan. Played by Misti Traya, Cassandra Sullivan was the antagonist of season 8 episode 21, Pretend.
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She was a con woman who pretended to be a teenager despite being in her late 20s. Cassandra slept with several underage boys until she was caught by the police. Her crimes were so drastic that she is still remembered by viewers over 15 years after the episode aired.
Cassandra Sullivan was a con woman who exploited minors in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
In Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s episode Pretend, a woman named Denise Pickering went by the alias Cassandra Sullivan to commit different crimes. Denise had a difficult childhood. She was abused at home and was separated from her foster family when she became an adult.
To try to find a place to live and feel like she belonged somewhere, Denise started pretending to be a teenager. She would lie about her age, use a new name, and get into the foster care system. Denise did this in several different states over many years, until she was almost 30 years old.
One of Denise's worst crimes was committing statutory rape with underage high school boys. In New York, she had relationships with two boys named Riley Cuskey and Scott Heston. This led to a fight between the boys, and Riley was killed.
Denise did not physically hurt Riley, but she caused the fight by manipulating the boys. She also committed fraud by lying about being a minor to get housing and other services meant for actual children in the foster care system.
When she used the name Cassandra Sullivan, she was creating a fake identity to help her get a stable life each time she moved. Denise was finally exposed during the investigation into Riley’s murder. On interrogation, she told the police that she was the 16-year-old girlfriend of Riley.
While the authorities charged Scott with the murder, prosecutor Novak visited Cassandra’s foster home and discovered that she had secretly been with Scott while dating Riley.
At Scott’s sentencing, Cassandra was supposed to testify, but she remained missing from the court. Detectives later found her in the hospital after a hit-and-run accident. During treatment, doctors realized Cassandra was much older than she claimed, leading to her exposure.
DNA tests confirmed Cassandra had moved between states while lying about her age to enter foster care. Scott’s lawyer pressed statutory rape charges against her. On the stand, Scott revealed he had killed Riley out of jealousy and blamed Cassandra for it.
Cassandra, aka Denise, eventually admitted her real age to Novak. As her story got out, more boys accused her of statutory rape. In the end, Denise was found guilty and sent to prison.
Cassandra Sullivan in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was inspired by the real story of Treva Throneberry
Cassandra's story on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was inspired by Treva Throneberry's real-life case. After graduating high school in 1987, Treva traveled across the U.S., pretending to be an underage teenager.
She enrolled in several high schools and lived in foster and group homes, eventually using the fake name Brianna Stewart in Vancouver, Washington. She convinced people she was 16 and even attended college.
In 2001, she tried to get an official birth certificate to get a Social Security number, but when her fingerprints were checked, her true identity was revealed.
Treva was arrested for fraud and theft after taking advantage of foster care and college benefits worth thousands of dollars. She was charged and sentenced to two years in prison.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is currently airing its 26th season on NBC on Thursdays.
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