Directed by James Quinn
Written by Terri Kopp
Investigating the murder of analyst John Cooper, Briscoe and Green discover that the victim had many enemies who wanted him dead. He scammed people by selling them overpriced shares in a company he knew was about to go bankrupt. Ultimately, the killer turns out to be Cooper's brother-in-law Russell Woods, who was conned out of $200,000 by Cooper. When phone records show that Cooper's wife Leslie was conspiring with Woods, she confesses she asked him to kill her husband. Cooper was very violent and had threatened to kill her, and she could see no other way out. The defence now argues that Leslie suffered from "battered wife syndrome". She refuses a plea deal, convinced she can easily win the case.
Lewin is concerned that this will set a dangerous precedent for defence to murder. The jury is very sympathetic to Leslie, and Lewin warns that they will hear anything McCoy says as tantamount to claiming that the violence didn't matter. So McCoy highlights the fact that Leslie didn't tell Woods he was being scammed; she instead waited for him to lose his money, then stepped in and offered him a cut of the life insurance payout if he would kill Cooper for her. She also hadn't tried to go to the police or tell anyone else about the abuse. But it doesn't work - Leslie is acquitted, and her lawyer declares it a victory for victims of abuse. McCoy is adamant that she got away with murder.
This episode contains examples of:
- Asshole Victim: Discussed by McCoy.
- The Bad Guy Wins: This is how McCoy sees it, at least.
- Domestic Abuse: Cooper was physically abusive toward his wife.
- Halfway Plot Switch: The first half of the episode follows the investigation into Cooper's murder and who wanted him dead. The second half switches to whether McCoy can win the case against Leslie.
- Karma Houdini: Leslie.
