Rafael Barba

**Rafael Barba** is a defense attorney. He formerly an Assistant District Attorney with the Sex Crimes Bureau.

## History

Barba first made an impression on the detectives when he assisted the Special Victims Unit in catching a serial rapist named Adam Cain. However, during the trial, Barba asked Cain to wrap a belt around his neck to gather information. Cain ended up choking Barba, which showed how violent he can be to the jurors in the court.

After arresting Teddy Hawkins, Barba made a plea deal with Teddy in exchange for the names of several men involved in a pedophile ring. However, the Special Victims Unit uncover that one of the pedophiles is Deputy Commissioner Hank Abraham. Barba was shocked after Benson and Tucker revealed the evidence they have against him. Barba confronts Abraham and his lawyer, where Abraham admits his guilt but asks Barba to leave. A few moments after leaving, Abraham ended up attempting suicide by slashing his wrists. After making a full recovery, Abraham was sentenced to prison time and will remain on the registry once he is released.

Barba prosecuted a wealthy businessman named Lawrence Hendricks, Sr., after he was accused of raping a woman named Sarah Morrissey. However, Hendricks tries to escape the rape charge by faking dementia but Barba assures Benson that Hendricks will pay for the crimes that he committed. Later, Barba was able to get Hendricks to slip up and he was arrested and imprisoned for Sarah's rape.

Barba prosecuted Nicole Keller, a woman accused of raping a minor and covering it up by having her underage lover, Trey Franklin, to be murdered by her son, Luke. Barba promises the parents of Franklin that they will get justice for what Keller did. Barba managed to get Keller to change her story using his own methods and she is ultimately convicted after her son testifies against her. Keller is sentenced to life in prison for rape and murder.

Barba prosecuted Logan Carter, an air pilot who was accused of raping Tara Sidnana. After gaining evidence, he is able to make Carter plea to ten years in prison or face a life sentence. Afterwards, he manages to get several female co-workers to come forward after Carter raped them. Each worker explained that Carter harassed them and the airline company did nothing about it. Barba manages to take down the airline and convict Carter.

### Departure

In 2018, Barba became heavily involved in a case involving a boy with MDDS who was kidnapped by his father. After being found, Barba could see that the boy was suffering and took him off of life support. Barba was taken to trial for second-degree murder despite McCoy and Benson knowing that Barba isn't at all to blame. Barba hires Defense Attorney Randy Dworkin to represent him in court. On the stand, Barba claims that what he did was not murder because he could see the pain that the little boy was going through and it was too much. Barba was eventually found not guilty and acquitted but resigned from his job as assistant district attorney.

### As A Defense Attorney

Barba is approached by Benson and Tutuola who ask him to represent a military veteran named Mickey Davis, after he murdered the rapist of his daughter, Nydia. Carisi managed to get Davis to confess to the murder on the stand and that he would do it again. Davis claimed that he would do it every day of the week if he could. During the closing statement, Barba argued that Ajay Sharma was a serial rapist who preyed on teenage girls for over a decade and nobody had stopped him. The jury eventually found Davis guilty of second-degree murder and he was sentenced to prison time for three and a half years. After the trial, Barba joined the squad for a drink and Benson discussed with Barba the way he handled the case before leaving.

### Wheatley's Trial

Barba was hired by Richard Wheatley to represent him at the trial after he was charged with the murder of Kathy Stabler. Barba then approached Benson and Stabler at the precinct and told her that even though Benson thinks he's guilty, it doesn't give the NYPD the right to frame him for murder. Barba tried his best to prove that Wheatley wasn't guilty of Kathy's murder during the trial. After the trial, Benson refused to talk to Barba after representing Wheatley, claiming that she doesn't know how she will get over the fact that he betrayed her. (SVU: "People Vs Richard Wheatley")

### On OC

Barba approached Wheatley in his cell. Wheatley asked him if they have a date for the retrial and Barba tells him that the DA's office has decided not to move forward and that he is a free man. Wheatley tells Barba that he hopes he considers his offer to be in his organization but Barba tells him that he is not interested. (OC: "The Christmas Episode")

## Known Clients

* Mickey Davis
* Richard Wheatley (deceased)
* Delia Hackman

## Appearances

* Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
	+ Season 14: "Twenty-Five Acts" • "Friending Emily" • "Lessons Learned" • "Beautiful Frame" • "Criminal Hatred" • "Funny Valentine" • "Undercover Blue" • "Legitimate Rape" • "Girl Dishonored" • "Traumatic Wound" • "Her Negotiation"
	+ Season 15: "Imprisoned Lives" • "American Tragedy" • "October Surprise" • "Dissonant Voices" • "Military Justice" • "Rapist Anonymous" • "Psycho/Therapist" • "Jersey Breakdown" • "Betrayal's Climax" • "Comic Perversion" • "Criminal Stories" • "Downloaded Child" • "Reasonable Doubt" • "Thought Criminal"
	+ Season 16: "Girls Disappeared" • "American Disgrace" • "Producer's Backend" • "Pornstar's Requiem" • "Spousal Privilege" • "Forgiving Rollins" • "Agent Provocateur" • "Padre Sandungeuro" • "Decaying Morality" • "Undercover Mother" • "December Solstice" • "Parole Violations" • "Devastating Story" • "Granting Immunity" • "Daydream Believer" • "Surrendering Noah"
	+ Season 17: "Devil's Dissections" • "Criminal Pathology" • "Institutional Fail" • "Community Policing" • "Depravity Standard" • "Townhouse Incident" • "A Misunderstanding" • "Forty-One Witnesses" • "Nationwide Manhunt" • "Collateral Damages" • "Star-Struck Victims" • "Manhattan Transfer" • "Unholiest Alliance" • "Fashionable Crimes" • "Assaulting Reality" • "Intersecting Lives" • "Heartfelt Passages"
	+ Season 18: "Terrorized" • "Making a Rapist" • "Imposter" • "Heightened Emotions" • "Rape Interrupted" • "Broken Rhymes" • "Next Chapter" • "Decline and Fall" • "Motherly Love" • "Genes" • "Net Worth" • "Know It All" • "The Newsroom" • "Spellbound" • "Conversion" • "American Dream" • "Sanctuary"
	+ Season 19: "Gone Fishin'" • "Contrapasso" • "No Good Reason" • "Complicated" • "Unintended Consequences" • "Something Happened" • "Intent" • "Gone Baby Gone" • "Pathological" • "Flight Risk" • "Info Wars" • "The Undiscovered Country"
	+ Season 21: "Redemption In Her Corner"
	+ Season 22: "Sightless in a Savage Land"
	+ Season 23: "People Vs Richard Wheatley" • "A Final Call At Forlini's Bar"
* Law & Order: Organized Crime
	+ Season 2: "The Christmas Episode"