The Worst Mistake Barba Ever Made On Law & Order: SVU

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https://www.looper.com/920008/the-wo...law-order-svu/

Taking on Richard Wheatley as a client

With Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) still reeling over the death of Kathy Stabler and her subsequent murder trial during last year's "Law & Order: SVU" and "Law & Order: Organized Crime" crossover, assistant district attorney-turned-defense lawyer Rafael Barba returned to the show and made the fateful decision to defend Kathy's alleged killer, Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott).

"Barba f***ed up big time defending Wheatley," wrote @Ashluvxo, one of the countless fans to call out Barba's defense of Wheatley and point out how it ruined his relationship with Benson after she asked him not to take the case. User @JackiS65 tweeted, "I personally don't feel that Barba's reasons for taking the case are as noble as he made it sound ... He realized in the end that he made a huge mistake getting Wheatley acquitted."

Some viewers have tried defending Barba for taking on Wheatley's case, citing his duty as a defense attorney and underlying intent to protect Benson from having her reputation tarnished. But many still believe he should have turned Wheatley down because of his history with the Special Victims' squad. "He is a private defense attorney now. He can say yes or no to any case he wants," said @FlamingArrow79. User @XShipper tweeted, "Barba might have had good intentions [for] defend[ing] Wheatley ... but at the same time, he let Wheatley go, and so many more people died and suffered."