The Andreas family are all murdered in a home invasion; except the father, Frank, who wasn't there. Frank was recently arrested for selling stolen NYPD equipment and counterfeit DEA badges. Some of the badges were used in a multiple homicide, so Borgia offered a plea if he could find out who was involved. With Frank out on bail, the killers targeted him. Now she blames herself for the deaths of his family. Frank says that two men known as Ricky and Vincent paid him to make copies of a real DEA badge and ID. Borgia has him placed in witness protection but that night, armed men (presumably Ricky and Vincent) break into her home and abduct her.

The detectives discover that Kevin Almonte, a real DEA agent, secretly had a payment made to Borgia's account. [=McCoy=] concludes that Almonte is Ricky and Vincent's inside contact. Almonte knew he'd be caught, so he tried to make it look like Borgia was taking bribes, which would discredit her to a jury. He is arrested but smugly refuses to talk. Within a few hours, Borgia's body is found in the trunk of an abandoned car. She was severely beaten and then asphyxiated through her gag.

With no leads on the case, [=McCoy=] fears that Almonte will be released back onto the streets. He persuades a sympathetic judge that the only way to get Almonte to talk is to stage a murder trial for him. Branch doesn't like this at all but [=McCoy=] assures him the judge will shut it down as quickly as possible. Ricky Robinson and Vincent Mulkovsky are finally arrested when an engagement ring they stole from Frank's wife turns up. Frank falsely testifies to a Grand Jury that Ricky and Vincent named Almonte as their accomplice in the DEA, and Almonte is remanded for trial.

But the staged trial collapses when [=McCoy=] has a phone implanted in Almonte's cell and records him instructing Ricky to kill Frank. The judge rules that can't be used as evidence because it is entrapment. Almonte walks and the detectives tail him, only for him to be killed by Ricky and Vincent in a drive-by shooting. They are charged with the murders of nine people: Almonte, Borgia, the Andreas family, ''and'' the victims in the original murder for which they used the forged badges. But due to [=McCoy=]'s methods of obtaining evidence, the Governor orders he be removed from the case and replaced with a Special Prosecutor. [=McCoy=] has no regrets.

!Tropes present in this episode
* DeathOfAChild: Frank Andreas' young son and daughter are killed.
* DirtyCop: Almonte is a DEA cop who helps the criminals get away with their crimes.
* FellOffTheBackOfATruck: Frank Andreas was selling official NYPD equipment that met the definition, as well as the forged badges.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring:
** Frank Andreas' young son and daughter are killed. He himself helps the police after their murders.
** Borgia's parents travel to New York City from Connecticut after she is murdered.
* PunkInTheTrunk: Borgia is found dead, but she was alive when she was placed in the car's trunk. She died after choking on her own vomit.
* PutOnABus: This episode is the last appearance of Detective Fontana.
* WhamEpisode: Borgia is murdered.
* WhamShot: As a little girl arrives home, her mother tries to ask her friend to keep her for an extra day. The friend declines, citing that she's in a hurry. When the camera angle changes, we see that there's a man pointing a gun at her and realized that she was making a last ditch effort to save her daughter's life. As the girl walks into the living room, she sees her grandmother and brother being held prisoner as well, but she's grabbed before she can scream.
* WouldHurtAChild: Frank Andreas' young son and daughter are killed.