Selena Soto

Lieutenant Selena Soto is a main character in the ABC series, High Potential. She is portrayed by Judy Reyes.

The Major Crimes’ Lieutenant, Soto pushes her detectives expects excellence on every level. She’s the architect of the Morgan experiment, so she needs it to work: her job is on the line.

Biography[]

High Potential[]

Season 1[]

In "Pilot", Selena is first seen when Adam Karadec is investigating the death of Anthony Acosta and Morgan Gillory is arrested for tampering with the evidence board, however she is quick to trust in Morgan and asks her to assist with the investigation. When the killer is identified with Morgan's help she offers her a position as consultant for the LAPD which she accepts on the condition that Selena investigates the disappearance of Roman Sinquerra.

In "Dancers in the Dark", Selena is seen taking charge and organizing everyone's work load in the new case of the injured tap dancer. She helped to solve the murder with Morgan as she was able to agree with Morgan's idea that the killer was hiding in the car trunk.

In "Dirty Rotten Scoundrel", While handling a case of the bathtub murder, Selena received some information on Roman. Selena has to go to Melon for more information. She finds that the information on the paper is false. Melon forged the paperwork and messed it up so she goes with him to check it out. The address was wrong and the mural was not finished so they placed a bet on if it was birds or fish. Selena comes over and shares that Roman was cited by Melon for painting the mural of a phoenix, Selena was right, it was a bird.

In "Survival Mode", Selena is there with Morgan and Karadec missing with the mom of two missing children. They were last seen this morning when their dad picked them up but they were never returned and now they are no where to be found. An Amber alert cannot be used until the kids are missing 24 hours so she puts out a BOLO on the car. Back at headquarters, she gives orders to the team before reminding Karadec to take Morgan with him.

On the scene where the father has been unearthed, Selena and Karadec discuss the case. He was killed with a blow to the back of the head with the shovel being the murder weapon. Karadec thinks the girls were there when the father was killed so were taken to keep quiet. Selena thinks the girls were the intended victim and that the father got in the way. Lev shared with Selena and Karadec that there's a market where the father sells his vegetables. Someone saw a woman get into an argument with the father. She has red hair and glasses and is in her 30s. Selena thinks it's his new girlfriend but Karadec disagrees as he's still wearing his wedding ring. Selena says, "Like that ever stopped anyone." Selena asked Karadec why he broke protocol and put out an Amber Alert and his reply is, "Because every second counts." Selena thinks Morgan is rubbing off on Karadec.

Selena called in a favor to get it announced over the TV. Selena after hearing no phone leads had come through was upset. Over 15 hours since the girls went missing and the only lead is a description of a red haired woman who had a fight with the victim. Lev adds that she had glasses. Then when Karadec is questioning him, she wants to be let in but Selena says Karadec can handle this. Selena and Morgan and Karabec discuss the case. He admits to going to silence the father but doesn't stay finding him arguing with the mother who never admitted to seeing the father that day. They think she went to the father and confronted him and killed him. Morgan is horrified they could think such a thing but Selena insists that this is how they bring the girls home. They also think that the suspect could have done it as well. Karadec also informs Morgan that Oz said the tire track is of Mia's car but they never said anything as Mia wasn't a suspect at the time. Daphne interrupts to inform the group that Mia withdrew money and no one knows where she is. Selena asks Daphne to move Mia over to suspect on the board and then she tells everyone else to go home leaving their phones on in case there's another lead. Selena arrives. Karabec informs her that it is not Morgan's fault. It was his call. They both watch as Morgan climbs into the car then emerges announcing that she knows who took the girls. She tells the story of how the driver fell in love with the mother, tried to comfort her to win her over then took the girls so he can play hero. She said he was a gambler and when gambling didn't pay off he decided ransoming would give him the money needed to win other the mother. When questioned though the driver didn't have the girls, they ran off into the mountain. Selena takes charge getting search and rescue out there.

In "Hangover", while Karadec is grilling the suspect, Selena and Morgan talk. Morgan wishes she could go back in time and tell the suspect she can walk away but isn't convinced she'd want to as she said she really seems to believe in the cause and that would make you willing to put up with anything. Back at headquarters after they found out the next suspect didn't do it, they start to brain storm ideas. Morgan thinks it was the husband who disagreed where the money should go to the clients. Selena is on board with that. Karadec thinks it's the suspect. Selena sends the two to the husband to question him. Selena invites Morgan to come have drinks after work. She declines but changes her mind. Morgan jokes with Karadec saying she texted the suspect to come over for a drink. Karadec goes to enjoy his beer while Selena comes over to talk to Morgan saying she was glad she came. Morgan compliments Selena saying she's a great boss and one she doesn't want to quit which is rare. Selena admits she wouldn't let Morgan quit.

In "One of Us", Selena hears that there are gunmen in the police station and that they have bombs. She brings the entire police force and squat team with her and tries to call but noone in the station answers. When Oz arrives, she debriefs him. She tells everyone that the people inside are military trained as are the squat men. She tells everyone to keep the media out of it as long as possible and that she is able to watch the hall despite the cameras being shot out in the actual room. Squat team promises her they will try to get a camera in there as soon as possible. She gets a phone call from Detective Melon where he is reading a script saying that the suspect is an innocent man and they have to fix this or everyone inside will die. The female gunman hungs up before she can get the answer as to whether everyone is ok or not.

Meanwhile Selena figures out who was in charge of the case and tells Oz to bring him there. When Karadec asks if her if the detective has ever been wrong, she answers truthfully not in the 20 years I have known him. Selena greets him and tells him that they need to prove the military suspect is innocent but if not the situation is more dangerous. Selena is debriefed by the detective on the case. The victim was found shot to death with his own gun. His door had been kicked in and the weapon was found down the road in a trash can. There were partial prints all matching the suspect with acetone that the suspect was using in a home reno project. The height matched, their location matched, but when questioned he had an alibi, he was at his girlfriend's house. The suspect was offered a special post but he turned it down wanting a life of his own. The thought was when the victim found out, they went into a rage and he was killed. Seems closed but instead the suspect went to the shooting range the day before borrowing the victim's gun explaining the prints.

Selena and Karadec brought in the suspect's daughter to question her. The daughter said her father never missed a meal except the day he died. He told her he had something to do and he'd make it up to her. Later on when shots are fired, Selena wants to give the word for the squat to go in. Karadec wants to wait as he's afraid they will set off the bomb and kill everyone. On a long shot they go to the detox clinic and get a camera from across the street. A guy is seen on camera wearing a military jacket so Selena calls the gunmen to ask who he was. Sure enough the man on the camera is the killer. The case is closed.

In "Obsessed", Selena and Morgan talk while Karadec interrogates the victim's older boyfriend. Neither really care for the guy as something is off especially since he never asked to see the victim, his girlfriend. Selena recognizes since the case is a cold case it reminds Morgan of her missing ex-boyfriend. Selena calls in Morgan and apologizes in a way for not having more information in a quicker time frame. She explains when someone has been missing as long as Roman has, that it's hard to retrace the steps and to find someone who remembers or knows anything but she did find something. She said she found the man who met with Roman before he disappeared. His name was Geo Conforth. He's clean, no record. She said he works on both sides of the law finding things. She is going to set up an appointment as she did find him despite him being hard to find. She said she did it in the shadows where no one was looking.

In "The RAMS", Karadec goes in to see Selena who is on the phone being bugged by a reporter who wants new on the case. Selena wants to know if he was murdered. Karadec said the guy run over twice with a car with no plates parked abandoned in a garage and Selena agrees he was murdered. When she asks where Morgan is, Karadec explains she's cleaning puke out of the car as she brought her baby to work which is a first for Selena. Karadec to sent to talk to the son before she does a press release. When Karadec leaves, we see Selena sending a text to someone named Gio Silos from LAPD who she assures that he is not in trouble but wants to meet with him about a former colleague. This is about the Roman case.

Morgan joins Selena to Gio. He shows up and Selena says Roman's name saying he met with him before he went missing 15 years ago. Gio said ge couldn't remember then asked them. Morgan went off on her day then said 15 years ago my daughter was a baby so I'm trying to figure out what happened to her father. Gio said his son got in trouble and he wants them to make it go away in exchange for information. They ask for reassurance but he leaves. Selena promises she'll get what he knows.

Selena calls in Karadec to ask for a favor. He asks what the favor is and she said he's a 16 year old kid who needs to go to juvie instead of jail. She explains that Morgan asks for help when she was hired and this is what we need help with. Karadec agrees. Selena tells Morgan that the DA is going to lower the results down to juvie for the kid so now they wait. Meanwhile the video is up for the neighbor's car being stolen.

In "Chutes and Murders", Selena debriefs Morgan and Karadec on the murdered nanny at the playground. Then asking the people on the scene, she finds out she died by a blow to the head and was hiding in the slide when she passed. Morgan looks horrified at this fact. Daphne lets Selena, Morgan and Karadec know there was a 'creepy guy' who was hanging out on the playground. Selena asks Daphne and Oz have to go through her phone. Morgan and Karadec is to talk to her employer. Karadec and Morgan talk to him but he doesn't know she's dead. He was hired by her parents.

Morgan talks to Selena about her kids and the case. Selena promises the kid situation will get better but something else will come up. Selena thinks someone was paid to kill the victim. Meanwhile Oz brought in more photos suggesting the husband knew Tara better than he said as they were in every picture together. So Oz is to go back to the nannies. Morgan and Karadec are tagging along.

In "The Sauna at the End of the Stairs", Detective Melon and Detective John go into Selena's office with champagne. They are celebrating the fact that a cold case is solved as the murderer confessed on his death bed. Selena comes out of her office upset and asking for Scotch. Selena explains why she's upset. Selena thought someone else did it but Detective Melon said the death bed man did and he did confess. Morgan and the others get debriefed on the murder scene/scenario. Man is found dead in a sauna but autopsy said his neck was broken. She thought someone had pushed him down the stairs then moved the body into the sauana. It didn't have any real evidence other than one drop of the victim's blood being on the shirt of the now confessed murderer. She said she had no idea who did it but the fact that the confessed murdered had a bad hip, just didn't speak well for being able to move the body into the sauna. She asked Morgan to look into it saying she didn't follow her gut years ago thinking she had to toe the line to hang onto her career but now this murder is always on her mind.

Morgan goes into the station in the morning excited saying no one pushed him down the stairs. She said he was not killed on the basement stairs, he as killed in the bathroom. She comes up with this crazy scenario. He was taking a shower, the murderer walked in and tossed the hairdryer into the shower. She notices a spot on the wall where the outlet caught on fire but said the murderer had to get rid of the body so tossed him down the laundry chute breaking his neck. She said that is also how the blood spot got on the clothes. So they used the clothes basket to dump him into the basement where he is found all propped up with a wine bottle in the sauna. Morgan looks proud while everyone else looks shocked. Selena said they only checked alibis for midnight but anytime before that could be the killer now with Morgan's scenario. Selana decides to go interview the people again despite the warning from Karadec that she is going rogue and might end up banished to traffic.

As they are investigating, they determine Morgan's scenario can and is correct so she said "one of these family members is a killer" just as the family walked in. They sit down the family to hear a replay of the night. Some crazy things happen including one lady caught on fire .They also learned that the dad threatened to kill the victim for having his TV up too loud. Oz and Daphne told the fire lady was being beatened by the victim. When questioned, they admitted they were never going to admit it. But one of the family members admitted that they did see the bruises. They confronted Barry but he denied it. Then they asked if anyone had seen Barry after that. The mom said she saw him heading towards the sauna but she had some drinks. They divided up the family. Selana spoke to the abused fire lady and she said she was a nurse and she was trained to carry heavy loads. Selana spoke to the sons and they said they threatened him but never saw him after that. They went upstairs to get the decoration but the second son left him alone in the attic for 15-20 minutes. Oz and Daphne told the fire lady was being beatened by the victim. When questioned, they admitted they were never going to admit it. But one of the family members admitted that they did see the bruises. They confronted Barry but he denied it. Then they asked if anyone had seen Barry after that. The mom said she saw him heading towards the sauna but she had some drinks. Morgan said if Barry wasn't dead, she'd like to murder him herself. Morgan and Karadec spoke to the mom. She said Barry changed to a dirty movie. She sent her sons upstairs to talk to him. No TV was on after that and it only took 30 minutes. After finding out that both sons had plenty of time to do it, Morgan thinks they did it together. Karadec also said Detective Melon is leaving the station. Morgan rehashes the night but can't figure it out before the Detectives arrive. Just as they are talking to Selena, Morgan stares at the remote and figures it out. She said the bathrobe went downstairs after midnight not Barry as he was already dead. She tries to tell everyone that Barry was already dead and tossed down the laundry chute. She said the victim's young kid did to protect his mother. He electrocuted his father earlier in the shower. Everyone is outraged and no one believes her as Barry was still alive and using his TV. Morgan said that the remote was used by Cody not Barry as he had a special kind of remote. The son confesses.

Selena brings in Morgan and said she is amazed by Morgan. She is grateful she's on the team. Morgan said back at you.