Captain Mike Duarte is a commanding officer on a later season of Law & Order: SVU. Part of Dick Wolf’s extensive universe of procedural TV shows, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) follows the NYPD New York City Police Department’s 16th precinct who specialize in crimes pertaining to those considered particularly horrendous, including sex crimes, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and more. One of the longest-running crime dramas of all time, even exceeding the original Law & Order, the series has featured dozens of new characters who have come and gone over 24 seasons.
Some who appeared on SVU become recurring characters and other times they only briefly stop in. The best guest and recurring characters manage to leave a mark on SVU despite their truncated screen time. One of these characters is Captain Mike Duarte (Maurice Compte), who is first introduced in season 24, episode 2, “The One You Feed”. Captain Duarte is the commanding officer of the Bronx Gang Unit and is brought in to help the SVU when they investigate a gang rape case. He is a talented leader who’s been a solid ally for as long as he’s on the show.
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Captain Mike Duarte Is Killed By The BX9 Gang In Law & Order SVU
Tragically, Captain Mike Duarte is killed in his fourth appearance on the show, not making it past season 24, episode 12, “Blood Out”. Captain Duarte helps to investigate the gang rape of Nora Whitman (Brooklyn Shuck), but his past issues with Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) make their collaboration a tense affair. For one, Duarte is briefly a suspect in the case and once he’s cleared, Benson and Duarte take turns trying to poach officers from each other’s units but, eventually, they end up coming to an understanding that sees them sharing a drink.
Later, Benson is attacked by the BX9 gang outside her apartment and she and Duarte are able to connect that case with the Whitman case. However, BX9 catches wind of Duarte’s involvement and in “Blood Out”, Duarte steps into a bodega only to quickly realize BX9 members have followed him in. Surrounded, Duarte calmly tells the cashier to get down and call 911, saying before a shot is even fired that there is an officer down. Duarte manages to shoot one before more gang members
Captain Duarte manages to make it to the hospital but dies soon after, to the shock of Benson, who has just repaired their relationship. However, his death does help them convict gang leader Oscar Papa (Goya Robles) of ordering the hit from prison, which leads to them also getting convictions for the Whitman case. Duarte bravely and calmly gave his life in the line of duty and his death wasn’t in vain. His fate, though sad, is what comes with the territory in SVU and it’s a sobering reminder to the other officers of how dangerous this career is.
Where You’ve Seen The Mike Duarte Actor
Mike Duarte SVU star Maurice Compte is a prolific TV and movie actor. Though he usually only plays smaller roles, they are often significant and memorable. On TV, Compte plays Gaff in Breaking Bad, the man who attacks Fring’s chicken farm with a sniper rifle. He also had the recurring roles of Horacio Carrillo in Narcos and Kevin Jimenez in Mayans M.C. In film, Compte plays “Big Evil” in End of Watch, Benny Magalon in Den of Thieves, and Land Pirate Maurice in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
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Law and Order: SVU
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) is a procedural crime drama series created by Dick Wolf that follows cases handled by a fictional New York Police Department’s 16th precinct that centers around sexually-based crimes. The Show follows a rotating group of detectives that will tackle some of the most heinous crimes while trying to help the victims – and themselves – adjust to the new normal as the darkness in the world reveals itself with each new case.
- Release Date
- September 20, 1999
- Cast
- Christopher Meloni , Mariska Hargitay , Richard Belzer , Dann Florek , Michelle Hurd , Stephanie March , Ice-T , BD Wong , Diane Neal , Tamara Tunie
- Seasons
- 24
