Gloria Kulhane (Trieste Kelly Dunn) is the villainess of "Class", episode 7.17 of Law & Order: SVU (airdate March 21, 2006). She was a wealthy student at Hudson University and the roommate of Caroline Pereira, who was at the college on financial aid. Tired of working a menial job in the school cafeteria to pay for tuition, Caroline began selling term papers, with Gloria being her biggest customer. Gloria was also the lover of Caroline's childhood friend Adam Halder, who became infatuated with her and used the money he and Caroline earned from gambling to buy her gifts.
When Adam learned that Caroline's greed had driven them into deep debts and wouldn't be able to continue spending money on Gloria, Adam attacked and killed his friend outside of a poker game (with heavy implications saying that Gloria had insisted that he do so). Adam also stole the expensive ring Caroline was wearing, having won it in a poker game with athlete Roddy Franklin. When Adam was discovered as Caroline's killer and arrested, he refused to reveal Gloria's role in the crime out of devotion and allowed his attorney to argue that his gambling addiction was the cause of the murder.
Gloria's villainous reveal came when it was discovered during the trial that the ring Gloria had been prominently wearing throughout the episode was really Caroline's, as it caused a flash when Caroline took a photo of Adam during his attack of her in a last ditch effort to save herself. Elliot Stabler and ADA Casey Novak confronted Gloria during an interrogation, where the evil Gloria acted arrogant and boasted that they had no evidence tying her to Caroline's death. She went on to testify against Adam in court, revealing how he had called her and said he might have to hurt Caroline when he confronted her and was enraged, with Adam tearfully begging her to stop. Adam was found guilty and, when he asked Gloria why she had betrayed him, she coldly told Adam he had brought his fate on himself. Gloria was soon after arrested herself, however, for accepting Caroline's ring from Adam despite knowing he had stolen it from her, for which she would face 15 years of prison.
Quotes[]
- "He earned it. He bought me nice things, he took me out, he treated me the way I deserve. I live a certain lifestyle; if Adam wanted me, he had to give me what I need." (Gloria, talking about how Adam had come to be her boyfriend)