Directed by Creator/HelaineHead

Written by Creator/DougPalau & Creator/EdZuckerman

An elderly woman named Mildred Bauer is found dead in what appears to be an interrupted burglary. Her granddaughter Laura claims the housekeeper, Maria Gonzalez, should have been home. Maria says that she wouldn't obey Laura's instructions to starve Mrs. Bauer, so Laura fired her. The "burglary" was Maria trying to break in so she could check up on Mrs. Bauer. The autopsy report confirms starvation as the cause of death, and Laura says she was just following a doctor's instructions to monitor Mrs. Bauer's diet. Logan and Briscoe find out Mrs. Bauer had recently signed her apartment over to Laura, which has now taken care of Laura's financial problems.

With evidence Laura lied about the last time she saw Mrs. Bauer alive, the [=DAs=] have a case for homicide and Laura is charged. Maria's testimony is undermined by her criminal history and imminent deportation. Using phone records, Stone makes the case that Laura reported Maria to the INS to keep her from telling the police anything. Laura breaks down on the stand and says she did it because she felt guilty about not being able to help her grandmother. Mrs. Bauer was so ill that she no longer wanted to live, and had been refusing to eat. Laura couldn't do anything to change her mind.

Mrs. Bauer's priest visits Stone and confirms she had spoken to him about her wish to starve herself. He warned her against it because this would be a form of suicide, thus a mortal sin under Catholicism. Laura maintains that she had to cover up the truth so her grandmother could have her wish to be buried in consecrated ground. Kincaid finds out Mrs. Bauer had recently made arrangements for herself at a funeral home, which seems to support Laura's story. Stone can no longer be sure what the truth is so he offers Laura a plea deal: two years for assisted suicide. She accepts, although Schiff thinks she has basically still got away with murder.
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!!This episode contains examples of:
%% ZCE - * ChristianityIsCatholic
* ConsummateLiar: Laura Bauer.
* DrivenToSuicide: What may have happened to Mrs. Bauer.
* TheIllegal: Maria Gonzalez. Laura uses her undocumented status to manipulate her into not telling anything to the police.
* InheritanceMurder: Laura is accused of this.
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