Top 10 Shocking Deaths From Law & Order: SVU

Darn it, we were just starting to like her! When Sonya Paxton shows up to replace Alex Cabot at the beginning of season eleven, she’s no one’s favorite character. She’s abrasive and condescending, and of course she clashes with Elliot Stabler. In season 12, after she arrives in court intoxicated, we learn that years ago a killer had gotten away on her watch. That led her to start drinking. Her dedication is just beginning to win us over when Benson finds her stabbed and bleeding out in a bathroom. Her murder is totally unexpected. She does manage to take a bite out of the killer – literally – capturing DNA that ultimately enables the detectives to catch the guy. At least she went down fighting.

Everything about this case is heartbreaking. Drew is an infant with a severe genetic disorder. He can’t see, hear, or think, and he feels nothing but pain. His parents can’t agree on whether to keep him alive or end his suffering. ADA Rafael Barba decides to take matters into his own hands. When Drew’s mother can’t bring herself to pull the plug, Rafa ushers her out of the hospital room and does it himself. No one was expecting the story to take a turn like this. Although Rafa has been known to play fast and loose with procedure, he’s never put his career in such serious jeopardy. The episode marks the end of his time as an SVU DA.

CSU technician Dale Stuckey is a pain in the neck from the moment he arrives on the scene, but we were still caught off guard when he’s revealed to be a murderer. Ryan O'Halloran has been a recurring character on “SVU” for six years, but he becomes one of Stuckey’s victims when he finds evidence of Stuckey’s other crimes. At that point in the episode, the audience still has no idea that Stuckey is the killer thanks to some excellent misdirection. O’Halloran’s sudden stabbing seems to happen out of nowhere. We were sad to see him leave the series, but we certainly can’t say the same about Dale Stuckey.

This poor girl lived in misery and terror, and her death is unbelievably tragic. Esther’s father is a religious fanatic, and he starves and abuses all nine of his children. Esther is so malnourished that everyone assumes she’s a teenager – even though she’s actually 27 years old. She refuses to press charges against her parents, but Detective Rollins isn’t about to let this case go. She tracks down the Labott house, and the situation quickly escalates into a shootout. Most of the Labott children make it out, but not Esther. The revelation of how she died is somehow the most disturbing part of the episode.

We only get one episode with FBI Agent Cooper, but that doesn’t make her ending any less jarring. She enlists the help of the SVU detectives to track a serial killer and rescue his last victim, but we soon learn that she already murdered the murderer herself. The team is unable to save the victim in time, and her death hits Agent Cooper hard. Feeling guilty for her role in the incident and unwilling to go to prison, Cooper takes her own life right in front of Benson and Lake. The moment is shocking enough, but Olivia’s reaction is what really stays with you.

This killing is so senseless and so out of left field, fans still aren’t over it. Peg devotes her life to helping the most downtrodden people. She makes semi-regular appearances on the show in seasons three through eight. Then in season 12, the showrunners bring her back apparently just to kill her off. Sister Peg is in the wrong place at the wrong time when Jenna Fox – the daughter of a murder victim – shows up at the precinct. With no warning, Jenna starts shooting at the men responsible for her mother’s death, then firing randomly around the room. She kills Peg, and Elliot is forced to shoot her. As she bleeds out in his arms, the audience is left stunned at what they just witnessed.

Like Sonya Paxton, Captain Duarte starts out as an antagonist in the SVU squad room, but he eventually wins over his fellow cops. A veteran of the Bronx Gang Unit, he’s called in by the chief to aid in an investigation. He and Benson clash at first, but they soon learn to work together and develop a good rapport. Some fans even speculated that Duarte could be a love interest for Olivia. Unfortunately, his time on the show is short-lived. After just four episodes, he’s attacked by gang members in a convenience store and murdered. It’s a brutal killing that happens just as the audience was starting to get attached.

As the wife of Detective Elliot Stabler, Kathy was a regular fixture on “SVU” for over a decade, starting with episode one. She’s a loving mom and a patient wife, and although she and Elliot go through some tough times, they work things out in the end. When the Stablers return to New York in season 22, Kathy unexpectedly becomes the victim of a car bombing. No one saw this coming. She survives the initial attack and appears to be recovering, then suddenly takes a turn for the worse later in the episode. She dies off-screen, and if you want to find out who killed her, you’ll have to tune in to “Law & Order: Organized Crime.” What a thankless ending for such an important character.

This former captain of the Internal Affairs Bureau has one of the most compelling arcs of any side character in the franchise. In early seasons, Ed Tucker showing up on the scene always means trouble for our heroes. However, over time he slowly turns into one of the good guys. He and Benson even start a relationship, though they eventually go their separate ways. That’s why it’s such a shock when, like Sister Peg and Kathy Stabler, he returns for one episode just to be killed off. In season 21, he reveals that he has brain cancer, and later we learn that he took his own life to spare his new wife from having to care for him. It’s a devastating revelation.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

A 7-Year-Old Boy Became a Pawn in a Dealer’s Deadly Scheme

Olivia’s Brother Never Caught a Break in His Entire Life

The writers really pulled the rug out from under us with this one. Deputy Chief Dodds appoints his son Mike to be Benson’s second-in-command early in season 17. It takes Mike a little while to settle into his role, but soon he’s right at home at SVU. In fact, the audience gets the impression that he’s going to become a permanent addition to the team. Later he decides to join the Joint Terrorism Task Force, but before he leaves he’s shot in the stomach. In the hospital, Mike suffers a stroke and severe brain damage, and his father makes the difficult choice to take him off life support. The entire incident is a shocking blow to the detectives, the deputy chief, and the fans.

Which character’s death tore you up? Let us know in the comments below.