The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode “The Book of Esther” is “ripped from the headlines” as its plot and characters are similar to the Turpin family tragedy in California. In January 2018, David and Louise Turpin were arrested for allegedly holding their 13 children captive in their home. They were charged with torture and child endangerment, among others. In the Law & Order: SVU episode, one of the older children, Esther, escapes and is found by the police — similar to the Turpin case. But the fictional Labott family lives in New Jersey. In the clip below, Detective Carisi (Peter Scanavino) reveals that “believe it or not, incest is not illegal in the Garden State.”
According to NJ.com, sexual relationships among adult relatives are legal in New Jersey “for people over 18, as long as it’s a consensual relationship.” However, the state law still bars relatives (parents, children, siblings, uncles and aunts) from marrying each other. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs Wednesdays at 9pm on NBC, right after The Blacklist and right before Chicago P.D.
